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MOTHERS  OF   MAINE 


/  cannot  tell  how  the  truth  may  be ; 
I  say  the  tale  as  'twas  said  to  me." 


MOTHERS  OF  MAINE 


HELEN  COFFIN   BEEDY 


PORTLAND 

THE  THURSTON  PRINT 

1895 


Copyright  1895,  by 
Helen  Coffin  Beedy 


IS' 


TO   THE 

DAUGHTERS    OF   MAINE, 

"mothers  of  Maine" 

IS    LOVINGLY    dedicated. 


Dear  Mothers  of  the  long  ago  ! 

Your  children's  lullabies, 
By  cradles  that  the  ages  know 

Ascended  to  the  skies. 
You  sang  the  song  of  hope  and  faith, 

Of  courage  and  content  — 
A  song  that  sweetly  echoeth 

Across  the  continent. 

Dear  Daughters  of  the  grand  to-day ! 

We  sing  the  song  to  you. 
O   listen  we'll,  and  watch,  and  pray  — 

Strive  nobler  deeds  to  do, 
And  when  the  years  to  hundreds  swing 

And  other  centuries  come,  ; 
May  new  grand-daughters  better  sing 

The  Mother  and  the    Home. 


PREFACE 

IT  would  be  difficult  to  define  the  motive  that 
first  led  the  writer  of  these  pages  to  the  study 
of  ancestry.  There  has  always  been  to  her  a 
fascination  about  the  dear  old  Grandmothers. 

In  preparation  for  a  paper,  The  Pioneer  Women 
of  Maine,  read  before  the  first  annual  meeting  of 
the  State  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  at  Skow- 
hegan,  October  9,  1893,  she  found  in  the  state  and 
local  histories  a  few  thrilling  experiences  of  women 
recorded  but  very  little  of  their  lives  of  heroism. 
Addressing  letters  to  many  of  the  representative 
men  and  women  of  Maine,  asking  them  if  they 
would  kindly  give  her  items  of  interest  in  regard 
to  their  maternal  ancestors,  she  received  such 
ready  responses  containing  so  much  valuable  mat- 
ter that  she  was  led  to  continue  the  research. 

Many  avenues  were  opened  to  her.  She  trav- 
eled many  miles,  searched  many  records  and  inter- 
viewed  many  people.  The  material  collected 
seemed  too  valuable  to  be  lost  and,  at  the  earnest 
solicitation  of  friends,  she  consented  to  give  it  to 
the  public,  hesitating  only  because  of  its  incom- 
pleteness. It  has  been  her  purpose,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, to  let  the  mothers  speak  for  themselves. 


12  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

An  old  letter,  a  leaf  from  a  diary,  or  sayings  cher- 
ished in  the  heart  of  a  friend,  have  been  incorporated 
when  possible. 

The  "  Mothers  of  Maine  "  includes  many  of  the 
women  who  have  aided  in  laying  the  foundations 
of  the  institutions  on  which  the  Commonwealth  of 
Maine  stands  to-day. 

The  writer  desires  to  express  here  her  personal 
thanks  to  all  those  who  have  so  kindly  assisted  her, 
especially  to  librarians  who  have  been  untiring  in 
their  efforts  to  advance  the  work. 


CONTENTS. 

Pa^e. 

ChapUr. 

I  — Dusky  Mothers, '9 

II —  French  Mothers 33 

III  —  Loyalists, 39 

IV  — The  Real  Mothers  of  Maine,           ....  5^ 
V  — Indian  Depredations, 59 

VI Mother  and  Lady  Phips, 73 

VII  — Forest  Neighbors, °^ 

VIII  —  Revolutionary  Dames °9 

IX  — Sarah  Emery  Merrill, io3 

X  — Deeds  ok  Daring,        .        , "3 

XI  — Lucy  Knox, '3' 

XII  — Business  Women, •  ^39 

XIII  — Social  Customs, ^59 

XIV  — Early  Religious  Teachings i7« 

XV  — Ministers'  Wives, ^^3 

XVI  —  Mothers  of  Longfellow, 209 

XVII  — Temperance  Reform, 219 

XVIII  — Antislavery  Movement,  231 

XIX  —  Mothers  in  Israel, ^45 

XX — Homekeepers, ^5 

XXI  —  Patty  Benjamin  Washburn, 291 


XXII  — Sunday  Schools, 


299 


XXIII  — Teachers, 309 

XXIV  — Physicians  and  Nurses 323 

XXV  — Preachers, 33^ 

XXVI  —  Famous  Hostesses, 343 

XXVII  — Authors, 349 

XXVIII  — Philanthropists 3  7 

XXIX— Hannah  Touey  Shapleigh  Farmer,  .        .        .        -383 

XXX  — Amy  Morris  Bradley, 393 

XXXI  — Dorothea  L.  Dix, 405 

XXXII— Women's  Clubs  Forfshadowed 419 

XXXIII  — Other  Mothers, 4^9 


The  new  woman  came  to  Maine  with  the  first 
family.  She  has  been  the  fiew  woman  ever  since 
—  strong  in  the  oldness  of  her  newness. 


INTRODUCTION 

IN  these  days  when  Maine  is  heralded  as  the 
summer  playground  of  all  America,  when 
there  comes  trooping  to  her  shores,  mountains  and 
lakes  tourists  from  every  part  of  the  broad  domain, 
when  poets  and  novelists  find  here  their  immortal 
themes,  artists  scenes  unrivalled  in  beauty,  when 
her  homesick  sons  and  daughters  in  their  exile  are 
sighing, 

O  Motherland  of  Maine, 

it  becomes  the  home  children  to  rise  up  and  call 
her  blessed,  doubling  their  diligence  to  rescue  from 
oblivion  the  memory  of  those  worthy  pioneers 
whose  names  are  not  found  in  the  records  of  her 
history. 

There  are  many  stories  of  the  early  pioneer  life 
in  Maine  cherished  in  the  memories  of  those  who 
are  rapidly  passing  beyond  human  questioning. 
These  should  be  sought  out  and  preserved. 

There  have  been  developed  in  the  woods  of 
Maine  lives  of  noble  daring,  self  sacrifice  and  de- 
votion that  only  the  winds  have  breathed,  the  rocks 
echoed  and  the  birds  sung  — 

The  heroic  in  common  life. 


l6  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Rapid  transit  has  annihilated  distance.  The 
tourist  who  takes  her  seat  in  a  parlor  car  in  Boston 
and  speeds  eastward  along  the  Atlantic,  beside 
lakes,  among  valleys,  through  thriving  farm  lands 
and  cities,  with  here  and  there  only  a  scanty  pine 
grove,  can  form  but  a  faint  idea  of  what  a  journey 
to  Maine  meant  in  the  days  of  her  grandmothers. 
Or  if  she  continue  still  eastward  from  Bangor  and 
note  the  massive  stump  fences,  which  for  nearly  a 
century  have  remained  as  now,  she  gets  only  a  hint 
of  the  monarchs  of  the  forest  that  once  gave  char- 
acter to  the  Pine  Tree  State. 


DUSKY  MOTHERS 


I 


DUSKY  MOTHERS 


The  path  she  is  treading 
Shall  soon  be  our  own. 


Whittier 


Vain  was  the  chief's,  the  sage's,  pride  ; 
They  had  no  poet,  and  they  died. 

OF  the  native  women  of  Maine  —  the  dusky 
mothers  —  we  know  but  little.  They  were 
the  burden-bearers  of  the  tribes.  It  may  be  ques- 
tioned whether  their  lives  were  always  "  lives  of 
hardship." 

The  Indian  brave  had  his  duties,  hunting,  fish- 
ing and  fighting.  He  would  have  thought  his 
squaw  out  of  place  with  a  gun  or  fishing-rod. 

The  women  constructed  the  wigwams,  cultivated 
the  corn,  prepared  the  food  and  reared  the  children. 
They  were  skilled  in  the  manufacture  of  baskets 
and  snowshoes ;  they  braided  mats  and  embroid- 
ered in  beads;  they  made  small  cradles  into  which 

19 


20  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 


they  strapped  their  young.  These  they  bound 
upon  their  backs  when  they  journeyed,  often  rest- 
ing themselves  by  leaning  cradle,  "  baby  and  all," 
against  a  tree.  The  story  is  told  that  a  tired 
squaw,  entering  a  house,  left  her  pack  outside,  and 
that  the  neighbor  who  followed  found  the  baby  in 
its  strapped  cradle,  with  its  head  downward.  They 
often  hung  these  rude  cradles  upon  the  branches 
of  the  trees.  To  this  custom  we  owe  our  cradle 
song : 

Rock-a-by  baby  upon  the  tree  top, 

When  the  wind  blows  the  cradle  will  rock. 

The  Indian  women  were  the  business  agents  — 
having  the  direction  of  the  trade.  The  English 
noticed  that  whenever  the  Indians  came  with 
their  furs,  they  were  accompanied  by  a  squaw,  at 
whose  nod  the  trafific  was  stayed  or  progressed. 
The  women  always  had  the  care  of  the  money. 

The  first  Portland  mother  of  which  there  is  any 
record  is  the  dusky  queen  spoken  of  in  the  diary 
of  Christopher  Levett,  who  built  the  first  house 
within  the  limits  of  Falmouth.  He  spent  the 
winter  of  1623  on  an  island  in  Portland  Harbor. 
He  says:  "I  found  here  a  king  and  a  queen  who 
accompanied  me  to  York."  The  queen  bade  him 
welcome,  drinking  to  his  health.  He  adds :  "  She 
drank  also  to  her  husband  and  bade  him  welcome 


DUSKY     MOTHERS  21 

to  her  country,  for  you  must  understand  that  her 
father  was  sagamore  of  this  place  and  left  it  to 
her  at  his  death,  having  no  more  children." 

"She  was  queen  not  only  of  Casco,  but  of  York." 
As  early  as  1640,  Sir  John  Jocelyn  wrote  of  the 
Indian    women,  whom  he  had  observed  at   Black 
Point,  in  the  vicinity  of  Portland : 

The  women,  many  of  them,  have  very  good  features,  all 
of  them  black  eyed,  having  even,  short  teeth  and  very  white  ; 
their  hair  black,  thick  and  long  ;  broad  breasted  ;  handsome, 
straight  bodies  and  slender,  considering  their  constant  loose 
habit ;  their  limbs  cleanly  straight  and  of  a  convenient  stature  ; 
generally  as  plump  as  partridges  and,  saving  here  and  there 
one,  of  a  modest  deportment. 

Their  garments  are  a  pair  of  sleeves  of  deer  or  moose  skin 
dressed  and  drawn  with  lines  of  several  colors  into  arabesque 
work,  with  buskins  of  the  same ;  a  short  mantle  of  trading 
cloth,  either  blue  or  red,  fastened  with  a  knot  under  the  chin 
and  girt  about  the  middle  with  a  zone  wrought  with  white  and 
blue  beads  into  pretty  works.  Of  these  beads  they  have 
bracelets  for  their  neck  and  arms  and  links  to  hang  in  their 
ears,  and  a  fair  table  curiously  made  up  with  beads  likewise, 
to  wear  before  their  breasts.  Their  hair  they  comb  backward 
and  tie  it  up  short  with  a  border  about  two  handfuls  broad 
wrought  in  works  as  the  other  with  beads. 

The  mother-love  was  not  wanting  in  these  dark- 
browed  women. 

As  the  wife  of  Squando,  the  last  of  the  native 
Sokokis,  was  floating  quietly  down  the  Saco  River 


22  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

in  a  canoe,  with  her  baby,  some  English  sailors,  for 
the  fun  of  seeing  an  Indian  papoose  swim,  over- 
turned the  canoe.  The  baby  soon  sunk  to  the 
bottom  of  the  river.  The  mother  plunged  in  to 
rescue  her  child,  which  did  not  survive  the  shock. 
Can  that  mother  be  blamed  if  over  the  lifeless  form 
of  her  murdered  babe  she  begged  Squando  to 
avenge  her  great  wrong? 

There  is  a  legend  that  the  Passamaquoddy  tribe 
originated  in  the  claim  of  equal  rights  on  the  part 
of  a  Penobscot  squaw.  She  married  a  St.  John 
brave  but  refused  to  be  taken  to  his  tribe,  and  he 
declined  to  accept  the  invitation  to  join  hers. 
They  compromised  by  settling  on  the  banks  of  the 
St.  Croix,  and  became  the  progenitors  of  a  new 
tribe,  the    Passamaquoddy. 

Hannah  Susup,  the  wife  of  Pierpole,  the  last  of 
the  natives  upon  the  Sandy  River,  was  a  daughter 
of  the  Norridgewocks  and  partook  of  their  proud 
spirit. 

Wisest  squaw  of  all  the  Sandy 
Best  of  all  the  forest  women, 

was  Pierpole's  estimate  of  her.  She  perpetuated 
her  family  name  in  that  of  her  daughter,  whom  she 
called  Molly  Susup  Pierpole.  Like  other  Indian 
women,  she  would  not  learn  the  language  of    the 


DUSKY     MOTHERS  23 

English  and  always  looked  upon  the  settlers  with 
distrust.  When  she  had  watched  two  of  her  dark- 
browed  daughters  fade  and  die,  she  believed  the 
curse  of  God  was  upon  them  and  begged  Pierpole 
to  leave  the  river. 

"Cursed  of  God," 

Said  Hannah  Susup, 
"Cursed  of  God,  oh  will  you  hear  me, 
Will  you  go  to  your  own  people  ? 
Will  you  leave  the  pale-faced  robbers  ? 
Pierpole,  I  will  go  without  you." 

"  We  will  go," 

Said  Pierpole  sadly, 
"  If  the  curse  of  God  be  on  us, 
We  will  leave  the  fatal  valley, 
We  will  go,  I  say  not  whither." 

Then  the  sad-faced,  broken  Pierpole, 
Strong  and  brave  as  he  was  gentle. 
Made  canoes  from  birch  and  willow, 
Placed  his  Hannah  and  the  children 
By  his  side,  and  down  the  river 
Floated,  chanting  as  he  floated. 
Down  the  current  Pierpole  floated 
And  beyond  the  settler's  vision 
Vanished  his  canoe  forever. 

A  steamer  on  the  Rangeley  Lakes  bears  the 
name  of  Molly  Chunkomunk,  the  wife  of  Metal- 
luck,  the  last  remaining  Indian  of  the   Umbagog 


24  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

and  perhaps  of  the  Rangeleys.  'Tis  said  :  "  after 
her  death  her  husband  took  her  body  to  Canada 
on  a  hand-sled,  that  it  might  rest  in  consecrated 
ground,"  that  while  he  waited  for  the  roads  to 
admit  of  travel  he  smoked  the  body  to  preserve  it. 
In  the  ethnological  collection  of  the  Maine 
Historical  Society  may  be  seen  a  birch-bark  box 
made  by  Molly  Locket.  Beside  it  is  a  small  case 
made  of  porcupine  quills  which  bears  the  inscrip- 
tion : 

Old  Moll  Locket 
Made  this  pocket. 
She  was  a  Pequawket 
And  last  on  the  docket. 

She  is  said  to  be  the  last  squaw  to  leave  Poland 
Springs.  Mrs.  Wentworth  Ricker  treated  her 
with  great  kindness,  often  administering  to  her 
ailments. 

The  following  story  is  recorded  in  the  Poland 
Springs  circular  of   1891  : 

On  returning  from  a  long  journey  to  Canada,  where  she 
had  been  to  consult  with  a  priest  about  having  her  husband 
(sanap)  removed  from  purgatory,  she  related  the  following: 
The  priest  told  her  to  put  down  her  money,  which  she  did 
without  retaining  any  for  herself.  He  then  prayed  for  her 
husband.     When  he  had  concluded,  Moll  asked  : 

"  Is  he  out } " 

"Yes." 


DUSKY     MOTHERS  2$ 

"  Are  you  sure  ?  " 

«  Yes." 

She  then  snatched  up  the  coins  and  started  to  leave. 

"  Hold  !  "  cried  the  priest,  "  if  you  take  that  money  I'll  pray 
your  husband  back  into  purgatory." 

With  a  twinkle  in  her  eye  she  answered  : 

"  Oh  no  ;  my  sanap  cunning  !  Whenever  he  got  into  a  bad 
place,  he  always  stuck  up  a  stick." 

On  the  shore  of  the  beautiful  lake,  Moosehead, 
lived  an  Indian  and  his  wife. 

Their  boy  Kineo  was  the  pride  of  his  mother. 

The  brave  became  very  cruel  and  deserted  his 
wife  and  son. 

The  youth  was  devoted  to  his  mother,  but  as  he 
grew  older  began  to  develop  the  characteristics  of 
his  father.  He  neglected  his  mother  and  finally 
left  her,  making  his  home  on  the  lofty  rock  that 
rises  so  precipitously  above  the  lake,  and  now  bears 
his  name,  Kineo. 

Kineo 
But  wrathful,  jealous,  quick  to  strife. 
He  lived  a  passion-darkened  life ; 
Even  Maquaso,  his  mother,  fled 
His  baneful  lodge  in  mortal  dread. 

Frances  Laughton  Mace. 

His  mother  waited  and  watched,  but  could  hear 
no  tidings  from  him.     Broken  hearted,  she  found 


26  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

her  way  to  the  smaller  eminence  near  the  lake,  and 
there  kept  her  fire  burning,  hoping  for  the  return 
of  her  son. 

Long  years  afterward  Kineo  espied  the  distant 
light,  and  thoughts  of  his  lone  mother  filled  him 
with  remorse.  He  resolved  to  go  in  search  of  her, 
but  found  her  too  late.  She  only  lived  to  recog- 
nize him. 

Poor  Kineo  !  he  lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept, 
filling  the  land  with  his  tears,  and  now  there 
springs  up,  wherever  they  fell,  the  pure  white  Indian- 
pipe,  and  the  mountain  is  known  as  Squaw  Moun- 
tain to  this  day. 

Molly  Polassis,  of  the  Penobscot  tribe,  was  a 
familiar  figure  throughout  the  state  for  an  entire 
century.  She  claimed  to  be  one  hundred  and 
twenty  years  old  at  her  death. 

In  advanced  life  she  became  very  corpulent 
weighing  nearly  three  hundred  pounds. 

Her  tribe  often  camped  in  the  vicinity  of  Frye- 
burg,  where  Molly  and  the  other  women  became 
famous  for  their  baskets  and  cheese  drainers. 

Molly  was  much  sought  after  as  a  fortune-teller. 
She  also  taught  children  to  dance,  the  girls  delight 
ing  to  be  called    minance  and  the  boys    skenosis. 

As  she  became  feeble  with  age  she  was  an  object 


DUSKY     MOTHERS  2/ 

of  veneration  in  Bangor,  where  she  was  always 
known  by  the  sweeter  name,  Molasses. 

Gen.  Samuel  Veazie  instructed  his  conductors 
on  the  Old  Town  railroad:  "Let  old  Molly  ride 
free."  Benevolent  individuals  did  not  think  of 
passing  her  without  depositing  in  her  hand  the 
piece  of  silver  she  had  learned  to  expect,  and 
which  she  thankfully  received. 

She  was  urged  to  have  her  picture  taken,  but 
could  never  be  induced  to  do  so,  having  a  supersti- 
tion that  it  would  be  the  signal  for  her  death.  The 
picture  now  owned  by  the  Tarratine  Club  of  Ban- 
gor is  that  of  her  daughter,  Sally  Polassis. 

Maria  Neptune  was  a  woman  of  great  force  of 
character,  and  as  the  daughter  of  the  governor  was 
greatly  respected  by  the  Penobscots. 


Longfellow  has  immortalized  the  daughters  of 
Madockawando. 

These  women  of  the  Tarratines  in  their  native 
haunts  on  the  shores  of  the  Penobscot  were 

Glorious  as  queens 
And  beautiful  beyond  belief, 
And  so  soft  the  tones  of  their  native  tongue, 
The  words  are  not  spoken,  they  are  sung. 


28  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

The  home  of  Baron  Castine  and  his  swarthy 
wife  is  described  as  a  long,  low,  irregular  building, 
constructed  partly  of  wood  and  partly  of  stone. 
The  windows  were  small  and  quite  high,  so  that 
no  one  could  look  in  from  the  outside.  The  fort 
surrounding  it  contained  twelve  guns,  a  well,  a 
chapel  with  a  bell,  and  several  outbuildings.  A 
garden  containing  quite  a  number  of  fruit  trees 
was  attached  to  it.  This  was  located  on  the  penin- 
sula of  Castine,  near  the  site  of  D'Aulney's  fort. 

Longfellow  makes  the  Baron  take  his  bride  to 
his  ancestral  home  in  the  Pyrenees. 

As  the  curate  waits  her  coming  he  looks 

To  see  a  painted  savage  stride 

Into  the  room  with  shoulders  bare 

And  eagle  feathers  in  her  hair 

And  around  her  a  robe  of  panther's  hide. 

Instead  he  beholds  with  secret  shame 

A  form  of  beauty  undefined, 

A  loveliness  without  a  name, 

Not  of  degree  but  more  of  kind, 

Nor  bold,  nor  shy,  nor  short,  nor  tall, 

But  a  new  mingling  of  them  all. 

On  the  shore  of  Lake  Megantic,  near  the  border 
line  of  Maine  and  Canada,  lived  an   Indian  family. 

The  two  daughters  engaged  with  their  father 
and  mother  in  the  fur  trade.     They  were  skilled  in 


DUSKY     MOTHERS 


29 


trapping  mink,  otter,  sable  and  other  small  fur- 
bearing  animals,  and  hunted  the  bear,  deer  and 
moose. 

They  sometimes  acted  as  guides  to  hunting 
parties.  They  were  familiar  with  the  haunts  of 
the  animals.     Fatigue  was  unknown  to  them. 

They  often  took  the  journey  to  Dead  River  to 
exchange  their  furs  for  family  supplies.  One  of 
these  maidens  left  her  home  with  a  heavy  pack  of 
furs  and  set  out  alone  for  that  region.  She  seemed 
like  a  thing  of  the  forest  as  she  bounded  away  in 
all  her  native  grace  and  beauty.  The  family 
waited  long  in  vain  for  her  return.  She  came  not. 
In  their  anxiety  they  went  in  search  of  her.  They 
found  the  little  cabin,  in  which  she  was  wont  to 
spend  the  night  when  on  the  journey,  in  ashes. 
Their  worst  fears  were  realized  when  in  the  small 
pond  near  by,  several  rods  from  the  shore,  her 
body  was  found,  weighted  with  a  stone  to  conceal 
it  in  the  shallow  water. 

There  were  evidences  that  she  had  been  foully 
dealt  with.  The  perpetrator  of  the  deed  has  never 
been  discovered.  Her  name  has  never  been  vin- 
dicated. Let  it  be  written  here  as  The  Noble 
Indian  Maiden  who  defended  her  honor  even  unto 
death. 


30  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

There  is  hardly  an  overhanging  cliff,  projecting 
headland  or  lofty  boulder  on  our  coast  or  beside 
our  lakes  that  has  not  its  legend  of  some  Indian 
maiden,  with  aspirations  beyond  her  environments, 
who  met  her  fate  by  plunging  into  the  foaming 
waters  below  —  the  rock  ever  after  known  as 
Lover's  Leap. 

Caroline  Dana  Howe  is  authority  for  the  follow- 
ing statement : 

It  is  recorded  in  history  than  an  Indian  maiden,  forsaken  by 
her  lover  and  broken-hearted  with  grief,  climbed  to  the  top  of 
Jockey  Cap  and  threw  herself  into  Lovewell's  Pond. 

When  we  consider  that  Jockey  Cap  is  a  huge 
boulder  rising  two  hundred  feet  from  the  pine 
plains  of  Fryeburg,  and  that  Lovewell's  Pond  is  one 
mile  and  a  half  distant,  it  must  be  regarded  as  a 
stupendous  leap  even  for  a  forest  maiden. 


FRENCH    MOTHERS 


II 

FRENCH   MOTHERS 


W/ty  all  this  toil  for  triumphs  of  an  hour? 

Young. 


THE  first  French  woman  known  to  be  directly 
associated  with  the  earl}'  history  of  Maine  is 
Madame  de  Guercheville. 

In  1603  De  Monts  received  from  Henry  IV.  of 
France  a  patent  securing  to  him  all  the  territory 
in  America  between  the  fortieth  and  forty-sixth 
degrees  north  latitude.  This  was  the  Acadia  of 
the  French.  De  Monts,  being  unsuccessful  in  his 
attempts  at  colonization,  surrendered  his  grant  to 
Madame  de  Guercheville.  She  was  a  lady  of 
wealth  and  a  favorite  in  the  courtly  circle. 

The  king  confirmed  her  in  her  right,  making  her 
proprietor  of  a  large  part  of  Maine. 

By  the  aid  of  Maria  de'  Medici  and  other  ladies 
of  the  French  court,  she  fitted  out  an  expedition 
in  161 3  to  take  possession  of  her  lands. 

3  ZZ 


34  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

Madame  de  Guercheville  was  a  devout  Catholic, 
and  partook  of  the  reHgious  spirit  that  character- 
ized the  early  French  missionaries. 

She  determined  to  send  the  gospel  to  the  Indians 
on  the  Penobscot. 

The  expedition,  delayed  by  adverse  v^inds  and 
storms,  failed  to  reach  the  river,  and  was  obliged 
to  land  at  Mt.  Desert.  Here  they  planted  the 
cross  and  named  the  place  St.  Saviour.  This 
colony  was  entirely  uprooted  by  the  English. 

The  first  woman  of  rank  who  came  to  Maine 
and  entered  personally  into  the  bitter  contests  of 
the  rival  claimants  for  the  possession  of  Acadia 
was  the  beautiful  and  accomplished  Madame  La 
Tour.  Her  husband's  claim  was  disputed  by 
D'Aulney,  who  had  fortified  himself  at  Castine. 

Acadia  then  extended  from  the  Penobscot  to  the 
St.  John  River.  La  Tour  was  obliged  to  build  his 
fort  at  the  eastern  extremity. 

Madame  La  Tour  was  a  woman  of  undaunted 
courage.  She  took  her  place  beside  the  men  in 
the  feeble  garrison  and,  it  is  said,  quadrupled  its 
strength  by  her  intrepidity.  She  undertook  an 
ocean  voyage  to  Europe  in  behalf  of  their  cause. 

On  her  return  she  took  passage  on  an  English 
vessel,  stipulating  that  she  should  be  landed  at  St. 
John. 


FRENCH    MOTHERS  35 

Regardless  of  the  compact,  after  a  circuitous 
voyage  and  a  long  and  tedious  passage,  she  was 
taken  to  Boston. 

Knowing  that  she  could  not  reach  St.  John 
without  being  exposed  to  capture  by  D'Aulney, 
she  at  once  commenced  suit  against  the  captain 
and  merchants  who  had  chartered  the  ship,  for 
unnecessary  detention  of  nearly  six  months. 

She  was  successful  and  procured  damages  of 
two  thousand  pounds,  enabling  her  to  employ  three 
ships  to  take  her  to  St.  John.  On  her  arrival  she 
found  the  garrison  weak  and  disheartened,  her 
husband  having  been  absent  for  days. 

She  immediately  took  command  of  the  fort  and 
when  D'Aulney,  who  had  closely  watched  her 
movements,  landed  his  force  for  an  attack,  she 
defended  it  so  skilfully  that  after  twenty  of  his 
men  had  been  killed  and  others  wounded  he  with- 
drew his  remaining  forces  to  his  ships. 

The  following  year  he  succeeded  in  taking  the 
fort,  plundered  it  and  carried  the  garrison  prison- 
ers to  Castine. 

D'Aulney  had  chosen  his  opportunity,  knowing 
La  Tour  again  to  be  absent  from  the  fort  in  quest 
of  supplies. 

On  his  arrival  at  Castine  with  his  proud 
prisoner,  D'Aulney  introduced  her  to  his  wife  as 
his  greatest  enemy. 


36  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Alone,  crushed  in  spirit,  a  prisoner  in  the  hands 
of  D'Aulney,  Madame  La  Tour  survived  her  cap- 
tivity only  a  few  weeks. 

D'Aulney  lived  but  a  short  time  after  this  event. 

La  Tour  reconciled  the  rival  claims  by  marrying 
Madame  D'Aulney.  He  is  said  to  have  wooed 
her  with  the  argument :  "  Your  husband  and  my 
wife  could  never  agree  —  let  us  live  in  peace." 


LOYALISTS 


Ill 

LOYALISTS 


We  have  been  slow  to  learn  that  the  greatest  thing  in  the  luorld  is 
love. 

THE  Loyalists  believed  that  "the  powers  that 
be  are  ordained  of  God."  Patriotism  to 
them  meant  loyalty  to  the  king  of  England. 

"  The  Declaration  of  Independence  changed  the 
meaning  of  the  word." 

The}'  could  not  change,  and  sacrificed  their  homes 
and  estates  to  what  they  considered  patriotism. 

The  spirit  of  '76  had  very  little  sympathy  with 
the  Loyalists.  In  many  cases  their  property  was 
confiscated  and  offered  to  the  State  as  though  the 
owners  were  dead. 

The  first  settlers  of  Kittery  were  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Bray,  who,  in  consequence  of  religious  perse- 
cution, came  from  Plymouth,  England,  in  1660, 
bringing  with  them  their  infant  daughter,  Margery. 

In    her    wilderness    home,     under    the     careful 

39 


40  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

guidance  of  a  wise  mother,  the  child  grew  to  be 
an  attractive  young  lady. 

On  the  Isles  of  Shoals  were  a  company  of  fisher- 
men, among  them  a  young  Englishman,  William 
Pepperell. 

He  often  had  occasion  to  go  to  Kittery  Point  in 
the  interests  of  his  business,  Mr.  Bray  being  a 
shipwright. 

The  beautiful  Margery  was  an  object  of  great 
admiration  to  him.  It  may  be  questioned  whether 
the  boats  always  needed  the  repairs  for  which  they 
were  ostensibly  brought. 

When  Margery  had  attained  to  her  seventeenth 
year  he  ventured  to  ask  her  father  if  he  might 
become  her  suitor.  Mr.  Bray  objected  on  the 
ground  of  her  tender  years,  and  hinted  that  the 
young  man  lacked  the  fortune  requisite  in  the  hus- 
band of  his  daughter. 

William  Pepperell,  knowing  that  "a  faint  heart 
never  won  a  fair  lady,"  did  not  repine,  but  devoted 
himself  more  closely  to  business.  He  purchased  a 
right  in  the  Muscongus  Waldo  Patent  and  became 
a  proprietor  of  large  tracts  of  land  in  Maine.  He 
constantly  kept  an  eye  to  all  vessels  or  boats  need- 
ing repairs  and  attended  to  the  matter  personally. 

Margery  Bray  became  his  bride,  her  father  pre- 
senting him  with  the  site  of  the  present   Pepperell 


LOYALISTS  41 

mansion,  which  he  built  and  which  was  ever  after 
their  home. 

Here  were  born  their  seven  children,  Mary, 
Margery,  Joanna,  Miriam,  Dorothy,  Jane  and 
William. 

The  daughters  were  early  trained  in  domestic 
duties,  which  were  far  more  numerous  than  at 
present,  each  household  being  a  community  of  its 
own  and  supplying  all  its  wants. 

Mrs.  Pepperell  inherited  a  large  estate  in  her 
own  right,  which  enabled  her  to  employ  graduates 
from  Harvard  as  teachers  in  her  household.  One 
of  these,  Rev.  John  Newmarch,  subsequently  mar- 
ried one  of  her  daughters. 

Encouraged  by  their  father,  the  girls  became 
interested  in  trade.  Probably  each  young  lady 
had  her  boat  or  canoe,  which  she  paddled  inde- 
pendently over  the  Piscataqua  as  she  trafficked  for 
furs,  fish  and  other  articles.  These  they  sent  on 
some  of  their  father's  numerous  vessels  to  Europe 
or  the  West  Indies,  receiving  in  exchange  choice 
fruits  from  the  West  Indies  and  rich  garments 
from  London.  Several  of  these  daughters  became 
owners  of  vessels ;  bills  of  sale  of  which  are  still 
preserved. 

Madam  Margery  Pepperell  died  April  30,  1741, 
surviving  her  husband  seven  years. 


42  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

She  is  spoken  of  through  the  whole  course  of 
her  life  as  "exemplary  for  unaffected  piety  and 
amiable  virtue  —  especially  her  charity,  her  courte- 
ous affability,  her  prudence,  meekness,  patience 
and  her  unweariedness  in  well-doing." 

The  son  William,  afterward  Sir  William,  like 
his  sisters,  was  well  educated.  He  was  associated 
with  his  father  in  business,  which  often  took  him 
to  the  more  thickly  settled  parts  of  the  country. 
He  was  a  welcome  guest  in  the  most  cultured 
families. 

William  Pepperell  married  Mary  Hirst  of  Bos- 
ton, a  young  lady  of  culture  and  refinement. 

The  Pepperell  mansion  was  enlarged  and  both 
families  lived  under  the  same  roof. 

The  story  of  Louisburg  —  the  conquest  of  Cape 
Breton  —  which  gave  peace  to  Europe,  the  one 
hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  which  has  so 
recently  been  celebrated  (June  17,  1895),  is  too 
familiar  to  need  repeating  here.  Sir  William 
waited  long  for  the  tardy  honors  —  the  monument 
and  the  medals. 

Sir  William  Pepperell  died  July  6,  1759,  leav- 
ing by  will  to  his  wife  one-half  of  his  real  estate ; 
four  negroes ;  use  of  all  the  furniture  during  her 
natural  life  ;  increase  of  all  live  stock  on  all  his 
farms  ;    his   chariot,  a  chaise ;    her  choice    of   two 


LOYALISTS  43 

horses  ;  all  the  wines  and  other  Hquors,  and  one 
thousand  pounds  sterling. 

She  built  for  herself  a  smaller  house  near  her 
daughter's  and  the  church  in  the  village,  where 
she  resided,  much  loved  and  respected  for  her 
deeds  of  mercy  during  the  thirty  years  of  her 
widowhood. 

Both  of  these  houses  are  now  standing  in 
Kittery. 

When  Victoria,  England's  honored  queen,  was 
recently  presented  with  a  medal  struck  from  the 
old  cannon  used  by  Sir  William  in  the  defense  of 
her  ancestral  domains,  in  her  woman  heart  she 
read  another  story,  the  patriotism  and  devotion  to 
high  ideals  of  the  woman  at  Kittery  Point,  who 
bade  her  husband  Godspeed  in  his  perilous  enter- 
prise; who  defended  the  home-altar  they  together 
had  reared ;  who  waited,  watched  and  at  last  wel- 
comed him  back,  receiving  at  his  hand  the  title  of 
Lady,  which  she  so  proudly  honored  during  her 
lone  life. 


'to 


The  princely  fortune  of  the  Pepperell's  that  required  a  cen- 
tury to  construct,  was  in  a  brief  hour  overthrown  and  demol- 
ished and  its  fragments  broadcast  by  the  confiscation  act  of 
1778. 

Sir  William's  plate  was  given  to  his  grandson,  Sir  William, 
and  was  allowed  in  the  confiscation  act  to  be  taken  away  from 
the  dwelling  at  Kittery.     Col.  Moulton  of  York,  with  six  sol- 


44  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

diers,  guarded  its  conveyance  to  Boston,  whence  it  was  shipped 
to  England. 

It  is  written  of  Elizabeth,  the  daughter  of  Sir 
William  and  Mary,  who,  like  her  brother  Andrew, 
had  been  well  educated,  that  few,  if  any  belles  of 
her  day  possessed  equal  attractions.  An  heiress  of 
rare  accomplishments  and  winning  manners  ;  high- 
bred maternal  connections ;  the  only  daughter  of  a 
distinguished  merchant,  high  in  official  station, 
military,  political  and  judicial;  of  commanding 
influence,  and  above  all  a  lady  of  sound  religious 
principles  and  abounding  in  Christian  graces  —  she 
was  truly  "  a  gem  of  the  first  water." 

It  is  further  said  that  "  many  were  the  admirers 
that  clustered  around  her,  ambitiously  courting  her 
benignant  smiles." 

She  married  Nathaniel  Sparhawk,  a  son  of  Mrs. 
Samuel  Waldo  by  a  previous  marriage.  They 
made  their  home  in  Kittery. 

Hannah  Waldo,  the  mother  of  Lucy  Knox,  was 
the  heroine  of  one  of  the  most  interesting  ro- 
mances of  the  early  history  of   Maine. 

She  was  betrothed  to  Andrew  Pepperell,  the  only 
son  of  Sir  William  and  Mary  Pepperell.  In  1748, 
according  to  the  custom,  they  were  published,  but 
for  various  reasons,  sickness  and  loss  of  property, 
the  young  man  postponed  the  marriage. 


LOYALISTS  45 

Again  the  wedding-day  was  fixed.  Miss  Waldo 
had  made  elaborate  preparations  at  her  Boston 
home. 

A  few  days  before  the  time  she  received  a  letter 
from  young  Pepperell  stating  that  another  day, 
which  he  named,  would  be  more  convenient  for 
him.  To  this  Miss  Waldo  made  no  reply  and 
kept  her  own  counsel. 

When  the  time  arrived,  Andrew  Pepperell, 
accompanied  by  a  retinue  of  friends,  presented 
himself  at  the  luxurious  home  of  Miss  Waldo. 
Preparations  for  the  wedding  had  been  made  in 
princely  style,  befitting  the  rank  of  two  of  the 
wealthiest  families  in  America.  Young  Pepperell 
had  built  an  elegant  house  for  his  bride  near  his 
father's,  at  Kittery. 

When  the  hour  for  the  ceremony  arrived,  Miss 
Waldo  met  her  lover,  not  to  be  his  wife,  but  to  tell 
him  before  the  assembled  company  that  the  young 
man  who  had  twice  deferred  their  wedding-day 
could  not  have  the  regard  necessary  to  their  future 
happiness,  and  that    she  could  never  be  his  wife. 

After  the  first  postponement  of  the  marriage, 
Gen.  Samuel  Waldo  wrote  to  Sir  William  Pep- 
perell : 

As  to  the  long  talked  of  affair  between  Mr.  Pepperell  and 
my  daughter,  I  am  at  a  loss  what  to  think  about  it.     You  know 


46  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

matches  are  made  in  heaven  and  what's  appointed  must  be. 
It  is  not  best  for  any  to  be  anxious,  but  to  govern  with  pru- 
dence, on  which  head  no  caution  is  necessary  to  you.  I  am 
very  much  obliged  to  Lady  Pepperell,  as  well  as  yourself,  for 
your  good  liking  of  my  daughter,  and  more  especially  that  she 
should  become  yours.  The  proposed  union  gave  me  great 
pleasure,  and  the  more  so  as  I  knew  she  could  not  fail  to  be 
happy  in  your  family,  and  I  promised  myself  it  was  not  in  her 
power  to  misbehave.  I  had  never,  sir,  any  reason  to  doubt  of 
yours  or  your  lady's  heartiness  in  the  affair ;  but  if  there  be 
not  a  mutual  good  liking  between  the  young  people  it  will  not 
be  best  they  should  come  together,  but  I  leave  the  affair  to 
them. 

In  less  than  six  months  Hannah  Waldo  became 
the  bride  of  Mr.  Flucker,  the  royal  secretary  of 
Province  of  Massachusetts. 

Very  little  is  written  of  Mrs.  Joan  Cleeves,  the 
first  white  woman  to  settle  in  Portland.  She  prob- 
ably came  from  England  with  her  husband  bring- 
ing her  only  child,  Elizabeth,  in  1637.  This 
daughter  married  Michael  Mitton  to  whom  her 
father  gave  Peak's  Island  as  a  marriage  dower. 
She  conveyed  the  island  to  John  Phillips  of  Boston, 
the  father  of  Mary  Munjoy. 

The  colonial  dames  had  their  own  appropriate  costume ; 
high  headdress,  rich  stomachers,  brocade  gowns  of  ample 
folds   with    ruffles    at   their   elbows  and  necks  and  scarlet  or 


LOYALISTS  47 

crimson  cloaks.     This  was    the    dress    of   the    women    in    the 
homes  of  the  wealthy  proprietors  in  the  earliest  days. 

The  gentlemen  who  accompanied  them  were  arrayed  in 
cocked  hat  —  often  laced  —  flowing  wigs,  ruffles  at  their  necks 
and  wrists,  embroidered  vests,  rich  small  clothes  with  orna- 
mented buckles  at  the  knee  and  on  the  shoes,  and  gold-headed 
canes,  short  scarlet  cloaks. 


THE    REAL    MOTHERS    OF  MAINE 


IV 


THE  REAL  MOTHERS   OF  MAINE 


Domestic  happiness,  thou  only  bliss 
Of  Paradise  that  has  survived  the  fall  / 

COWPER, 

THE  Real  Mothers  of  Maine,  those  who  gave 
character  to  the  state  and  permanently 
affected  its  institutions,  were  the  women  who 
one  by  one  found  their  homes  within  its  borders. 
They  were  often  the  silent  force  controlling  an 
entire  expedition.  Wherever  they  set  foot  there 
was  a  center  of  light  and  whatever  of  comfort  the 
wilderness  afforded. 

History  records  but  few  of  their  deeds.  It  is 
not  unusual  to  read  of  the  early  pioneers  that  he 
came  to  the  woods  of  Maine ;  he  felled  the  trees ; 
he  cleared  his  five-acre  lot ;  he  built  his  log  cabin  ; 
he  reared  his  large  family  of  children,  and  he  died. 
Not  even  the  name  of  the  mother  recorded.  In 
the  lonely  churchyard,  near  his  grave,  you  must 
kneel  to  brush  away  the  overgrowing  grass  that  on 

51 


52  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

the  lowly  tombstone  you    may  read :     "  Here  lies 
the  relict  of  such  a  man  !  " 

Happy  mother !  that  in  those  other  mansions 
thou  art  thine  own  sweet  self  and  not  the  remnant 
of  another.  Happy,  too,  art  thou,  if  thy  life-work 
is  recorded  in  the  hearts  of  thy  loved  ones,  and 
happy  the  day  when  thy  descendants  recognize  thy 
great  worth  and  teach  their  children  to  lisp  thy 
name,  preserved  through  many  generations ! 

Sad  it  is  —  but  it  is  true  —  there  are  living  in 
Maine  to-day  men  and  women  who  do  not  know 
the  names  of  their  grandmothers  nor  aught  of 
these  lives  of  self-abnegation. 

The  wives  and  daughters  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Gorham  shared  in  all  the  toils  and  perils  of  their 
husbands  and  fathers.  They  labored  in  the  fields 
and  forests,  carried  burdens,  went  to  mill,  gathered 
the  harvest,  assisted  in  the  defense  of  their  house- 
holds and  property,  and  when  the  men  were  called 
to  defend  the  province,  they  womaned  the  fort.  In 
the  annals  of  Calais  we  read  : 

All  the  houses  of  these  people  were  constructed  of  logs,  and 
were  destitute  of  brick  chimneys.  They  contained  very  little 
furniture  and  few  if  any  glass  windows.  Their  chairs,  tables, 
beds,  culinary  utensils,  were  of  the  most  primitive  style.  Yet 
these  rude  homes  were  comfortable  and  rendered  pleasant  by 
the  presence  of  loving,  faithful  wives  and  mothers. 


THE  REAL  MOTHERS  OF  MAINE  53 

'Tis  said  that  the  noble-spirited  women  who  first 
penetrated  the  forests  of  Maine  were  as  much 
gratified  on  their  arrival  at  their  log  cabins  with 
the  prospect  before  them,  as  is  a  bride  of  to-day 
with  all  the  wealth  and  luxury  of  her  modern  man- 
sion.    For  — 

Every  place  whereon  they  rested  grew 
Happier  for  pure  and  gracious  womanhood. 

Home  is  where  the  heart  is.  Here  were  true  and 
loving  hearts.  These  women  made  homes.  Their 
log  cabins  were  converted  into  abodes  of  comfort, 
unaided  by  the  cabinet-maker  or  the  upholsterer. 

All  the  elegance  in  the  world  will  not  make  a  home,  and  I 
would  give  more  for  a  spoonful  of  real  hearty  love  than  for 
whole  ship  loads  of  furniture  and  all  the  gorgeousness  that  all 
the  upholsterers  of  the  world  could  gather  together. 

Theodore  Parker. 

The  little  clearing  soon  produced  corn,  which 
they  ground  in  mortars  hollowed  in  the  rocks. 
The  intervales  furnished  sustenance  for  the  cow, 
which  in  turn  yielded  food  for  the  household. 

The  pioneer  woman  found  pleasure  in  her  care 
of  the  domestic  animals. 

Many  women  lived  their  pure  lives  and  reflected 
their  intelligence  in  the  remotest  corners  of  the 
state,  while  there  grew  up  at  the  more  thickly  set- 


54  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

tied  centers  a  cultured  society  that  has  never  since 
been  surpassed. 

These  early  mothers  were  royal  entertainers. 
The  ornaments  of  their  homes  were  the  strangers 
who  frequented  them. 

Eleanor  Fostor  Coffin,  who  died  in  Portland  in 
1832,  is  spoken  of  as  a  lady  of  the  old  school. 
One  whose  amiable  temper  and  graceful  and  digni- 
fied manners  inspired  universal  respect  and  regard. 
Both  she  and  her  husband  were  remarkable  for 
their  great  personal  beauty. 

King  Street,  Portland,  seems  to  have  been  famous  for  the 
beauty  and  grace  of  the  members  of  the  Coffin,  the  Tucker, 
and  the  Weeks  families. 

It  is  not  a  matter  of  wonder  that  the  Maine 
people  possess  great  personal  beauty.  It  was  the 
handsome  people  from  Massachusetts  and  other 
parts  of  New  England  who  emigrated  to  Maine. 
And  they  grew  handsome  as  they  grew  older  in 
its  sunshine  and  invigorating  breezes. 

The  grandmother  of  Senator  Frye  was  one  of 
the  famous  beauties  of  her  day.  No  less  beautiful 
in  life  and  character. 

Mary  "Robinson  came  from  Andover  as  the  bride 
of   Joseph    Frye,   and  it  was    said  of    them,  as   of 


THE  REAL  MOTHERS  OF  MAINE  55 

many  others:    They  were   the   handsomest  couple 
that  entered  the  church. 

Mrs.  Sarah  B.  Purington,  one  of  Maine's 
worthy  daughters,  writes  : 

There  were  many  sweet  lives  in  the  old  days,  both  men  and 
women.  One  of  my  great-grandfathers  walked  three  miles  to 
buy  a  piece  of  white  ribbon  for  his  daughter,  my  grandmother, 
to  wear  at  a  school  exhibition.  And  my  mother  has  told  me 
of  his  love  for  flowers,  that  he  always  gave  her  roses  when  they 
were  in  bloom. 

Much  has  been  written,  and  justly  so,  of  the 
courage  and  heroism  of  Mrs.  Peary,  who  accom- 
panied her  husband  in  a  finely  equipped  expedition 
to  the  Arctic  regions.  We  admire  the  daring  and 
bravery  of  Mrs.  French  Sheldon,  in  her  explora- 
tions of  Africa ;  but  when  we  consider  that  Mrs. 
Sheldon's  sedan-chair  afforded  ample  room  for 
herself  and  maid,  that  it  could  be  easily  converted 
into  a  sleeping  apartment,  that  she  was  attended 
by  fifty  native  porters,  and  that  these  journeys  were 
taken  not  from  necessity,  but  for  the  love  of  adven- 
ture, the  true  heroism  of  the  pioneer  women  of 
Maine,  who  turned  sad  but  brave  faces  to  an  alien 
land,  to  make  homes  in  the  heart  of  its  wilderness, 
stands  out  all  the  more  grandly. 


INDIAN    DEPREDATIONS 


V 

INDIAN    DEPREDATIONS 

If  trouble  comes  not,  ourjears  are  vain. 
If  it  does,  fear  but  augments  the  pain. 

SCATTERED  throughout  the  state,  one  hun- 
dred years  before  the  Revolution,  there  were 
in  Maine  six  thousand  inhabitants. 

So  treacherously  had  the  early  voyagers  dealt 
with  the  Indians,  they  had  become  the  deadly 
enemy  of  the  early  pioneers.  How  great  were  the 
sufferings  of  the  women  in  consequence  of  their 
constant  invasions  we,  at  this  day,  can  but  feebly 
comprehend.  They  were  wily  foes  and  delighted 
most  in  attacking  the  weak  and  defenseless.  They 
were  wont  to  lurk  stealthily  about  the  tog  cabin  in 
the  absence  of  the  husband  and  father  and  intimi- 
date the  wife  until  she  attended  to  their  demands. 

The  Indians  found  a  ready  market  in  Quebec 
and  Montreal  for  their  women  captives,  who  were 

59 


6o  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

sought  after  as  houshold  servants.  Mothers  often 
saw  their  homes  desolated,  husbands  and  children 
slain,  while  they  were  forced  to  take  the  long  and 
weary  journey  to  Canada,  to  become  the  slaves  of 
those  who  were  enemies  to  their  people. 

To  this  period  belongs  the  story  of  Hannah 
Swarton,  who  lived  near  the  fort  in  Falmouth, 
1690.  The  family  was  surprised,  the  husband 
murdered,  the  children  separated  from  her,  and  she 
was  made  to  carry  a  heavy  burden  through  the 
woods  to  Quebec.  This  is  only  a  single  picture  of 
the  many  that  may  be  found  in  the  early  pioneer 
life  of  Maine. 

The  mothers  did  not  run  when  an  opportunity 
for  self-defense  was  afforded  them.  In  these 
stirring  times  women  became  adepts  with  the 
musket,  defending  themselves  and  the  children, 
even  winning  the  respect  of  their  savage  captors. 

Maine  had  her  Hannah  Dustans.  Yet  many 
and  many  a  Maine  woman  fell  beneath  the  savage 
tomahawk.  Our  poet  governor,  Lincoln,  in  his 
"  Complaint  of  an  Indian  Chief,"  makes  him 
defiantly  sa^ : 

The  fair  tresses  which  hung  in  our  cabins  can  tell 

How  deeply  you  've  felt  for  the  wrongs  we  have  borne ; 

By  the  death-dealing  blows  of  Revenge  as  they  fell, 

From  your  wives  and  your  children  these  tresses  were  torn. 


INDIAN    DEPREDATIONS  6l 

It  was  a  common  thing  in  the  Kennebec  Valley 
for  women  during  attacks  by  Indians  to  melt 
pewter  platters,  and  in  some  cases  the  silver 
(though  requiring  such  a  different  degree  of  tem- 
perature), for  bullets.  One  woman  gathered  up 
the  bullets  that  had  been  fired  into  the  house  and 
remolded  them.  The  mothers  were  not  without 
their  bullet  molds,  and  they  rendered  efficient 
service  in  times  of  sudden  attack. 

In  those  olden  days  of  Indian  wars  in  Maine, 
implying  unforeseen  dangers,  sufferings  and  depri- 
vation, the  courage  displayed  by  the  mothers  in 
their  home  life  would  reflect  honor  upon  the 
bravest  soldiers. 

As  early  as  1725,  during  that  terrible  Indian 
warfare,  when  Lovewell's  Pond  ran  red  with  the 
blood  of  the  slain,  Jonathan  L.  Dresser  left  his 
home  to  the  care  of  his  brave  wife  while  he  joined 
Lovewell's  expedition  against  the  Indians. 

Elizabeth  Walker  Dresser  did  not  yield  herself 
to  fear;  she  had  dealt  kindly  with  the  natives,  feed- 
ing them  freely  and  receiving  at  their  hand  many 
favors.  One  night  as  she  was  preparing  the  even- 
ing meal  for  her  children,  she  saw  five  dusky  faces 
peering  in  upon  them.  With  a  single  glance  at 
the  men,  she  interpreted  their  hostile  intent. 


62  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

She  hurried  her  children  up  the  ladder  into  the 
loft,  according  to  plans  arranged  in  case  of 
danger,  and  then  turned  to  face  her  intruders  alone. 
They  came  in  with  fierce  demands  for  food  and 
gestures  that  threatened  trouble.  With  small 
supplies  she  immediately  began  preparation  for 
their  supper,  giving  them  even  her  children's 
bread. 

The  savages  gathered  around  the  large,  open  fire- 
place, and  their  huge  dog  stretched  himself  along 
the  hearth,  waiting  for  the  repast. 

As  she  went  back  and  forth  from  the  fireplace 
preparing  the  food,  she  accidently  trod  upon  the 
outstretched  foot  of  the  animal.  Instantly  he 
sprang  upon  her  and  bore  her  down  to  the  floor; 
his  still  more  enraged  master  rushed  forward  and 
with  his  tomahawk  would  have  ended  her  life,  had 
not  one  Indian  leaped  forward  and  caught  his 
uplifted  arm  while  another  dragged  back  the  in- 
furiated dog. 

A  terrible  struggle  ensued  before  the  dog  could 
be  pacified,  and  when  another  savage  lifted  the 
trembling  woman  to  her  feet,  his  eyes  glared  upon 
them  both  dangerously.  It  was  a  narrow  escape 
from  a  terrible  death,  and  it  was  long  before  their 
uncouth  jargon  seemed  to  convince  the  owner  that 
she  meant  no  injury  to  his  dog. 


INDIAN    DEPREDATIONS  63 

During  the  next  hour  she  was  in  constant  terror 
from  his  threatening  looks,  and  for  many  years 
afterwards  did  not  feel  safe  from  an  attack  by  hos- 
tile savages. 

Elizabeth  Walker  Dresser  lived  to  care  for  her 
twelve  children  many  years  after  the  death  of  her 
husband.  In  her  daughter  Elizabeth  she  perpetu- 
ated a  name  which  comes  down  to  us  to-day  in  that 
of  her  granddaughter,  Caroline  Elizabeth  Dana 
Howe. 

The  first  settlement  of  Bethel  had  been  entirely 
destroyed.  The  Indians  had  murdered  the  brave 
pioneers,  burned  the  homes  and  taken  wives  cap- 
tives to  Canada.  Again  the  little  cabins  were 
planted  upon  the  ashes  of  former  homes. 

David  Marshall,  with  his  frail  little  wife  Lucy, 
had  hoped  that  the  Indian  depredations  were  over. 
It  was  a  lovely  June  morning.  Mr.  Marshall  had 
gone  to  the  clearing  while  his  wife  prepared  the 
morning  meal.  In  the  cradle  was  a  baby  only  a 
few  days  old,  and  beside  her  played  a  boy  of  three 
years. 

All  the  earth  seemed  to  be  in  tune. 

Lucy  Marshall  had  no  thought  of  fear.  Her 
own    physical     weakness    was    forgotten,    as    she 


64  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

listened  to  the  prattle  of  her  boy  and  the  sweet 
songs  of  birds  through  the  open  door. 

A  breathless  messenger  rushed  into  her  cabin 
and  bade  her  flee  for  her  life  as  the  Indians  were 
again  on  the  war-path,  and  were  fast  approaching 
the  settlement.  She  protested  that  it  would  be 
utterly  impossible  without  the  aid  of  her  husband ; 
but  the  messenger  assured  her  the  only  safety  was 
in  immediate  flight,  and  in  the  meantime  he  would 
alarm  her  husband. 

She  caught  the  baby  from  the  cradle,  seized  the 
hand  of  her  boy  and  rushed  from  her  home ;  but 
in  her  alarm  Lucy  Marshall  was  not  unmindful  of 
their  future  wants.  She  snatched  also  the  spider- 
cake  browning  before  the  open  fire. 

Her  husband  soon  overtook  her,  and  finding  her 
strength  unequal  to  further  flight  concealed  her 
and  the  children  in  a  thicket  while  he  climbed 
a  tree  near  by.  The  terrible  war-whoop  of  the 
Indians  drew  nearer,  but  Lucy  Marshall  was 
hardly  conscious  of  their  presence  as  she  poured 
out  her  soul  before  God,  that  He  would  keep  the 
babies  from  crying,  that  their  hiding-place  might 
not  be  revealed. 

The  Indians  passed  so  near  they  might  have 
heard  the  least  wail  of  the  children,  but  Lucy 
Marshall  prayed.      When   the    immediate    danger 


INDIAN    DEPREDATIONS  6$ 

was  over  Mr.  Marshall  signaled  from  the  tree  that 
the  Indians  must  return  by  the  same  path  at  night, 
and  that  they  must  remain  in  concealment  the 
entire  day.  And  Lucy  Marshall  continued  in 
prayer. 

Paris  was  twenty  miles  distant.  The  family  did 
not  deem  it  safe  to  return  to  their  home,  but 
immediately  set  out  for  this  settlement.  They 
had  not  journeyed  far  before  Mrs.  Marshall's 
strength  failed.  The  flesh  was  weak  but  the  spirit 
strong.     And  still  Lucy  Marshall  prayed. 

She  now  had  to  be  carried  in  her  husband's 
arms ;  he  going  on  before  with  their  clothing  and 
little  David,  would  place  him  upon  the  bundle  and 
tell  him  to  keep  still  till  papa  comes  back  with 
mama  and  the  baby. 

They  were  making  slow  but  sure  progress  when 
Mr.  Marshall  discovered,  in  the  open  space  before 
them,  a  horse.  He  never  questioned  that  the 
horse  had  been  provided  for  his  special  need.  He 
placed  his  wife  and  the  children  upon  it  and  slowly 
guided  it  to  their  desired  haven.  The  family  after- 
wards settled  in  Hebron. 

Mr.  Marshall  built  a  mill  and  for  years  sawed  all 
the  lumber  that  went  into  the  large,  strongly-built 
houses  of  Shepherdstown,  as  Hebron  was  then 
called.      They    educated    their    children    at    the 

5 


66  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Hebron    Academy,  and    in    her    prosperity    Lucy 
Marshall  still  prayed. 

The  story  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  McLellan  has  been 
graphically  told  by  one  of  her  descendants.  The 
reader  is  referred  to  "  Good  Old  Times,"  by  Elijah 
Kellogg.  He  calls  it  "  Grandfather's  Struggle  for  a 
Household,"  but  in  the  self-sacrifice,  daring  and  per- 
severance of  Elizabeth  McLellan  we  have  a  picture 
of  a  worthy  Mother  of  Maine  in  the  early  days  of 
our  pioneer  life. 

In  the  days  of  the  French  and  Indian  wars, 
previous  to  1759,  Woolwich  was  known  as  Mon- 
sweag  or  Nauseag.  Near  the  sawmill  a  garrison 
house  had  been  built  to  which  all  the  people  fled 
in  time  of  sudden  alarm.  The  older  women  and 
children  remained  there,  while  the  men  and  some 
of  the  women  went  out  to  work  during  the  day. 

The  Indians  had  been  watching  their  oppor- 
tunity for  a  sudden  attack  upon  the  garrison. 
Frances  Gray's  unerring  eye  discovered  them  from 
her  station  in  the  watchtower.  She  g-ave  the 
alarm,  but  only  one  man  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  little  fort. 

Then  did  the  true  heroism  of  the  mothers 
manifest  itself.     They  bravely  aided  in  defending 


INDIAN    DEPREDATIONS  6/ 

the  garrison,  loading  the  guns  as  fast  as  the  man 
could  fire  them. 

Mary  Brookings  Gray  sat  all  night  in  the  watch- 
tower  with  her  baby  Martha  in  her  arms,  giving 
the  alarm  whenever  she  discovered  the  approach  of 
the  Indians. 

The  garrison  was  relieved  in  a  short  time  by  a 
party  of  friends  who  had  come  to  their  rescue.  It 
was  found  that  the  chief  of  the  tribe,  Sagadahara, 
had  been  killed.  His  body  was  thrown  into  the 
brook  near  by,  and  the  spot  is  known  to  this  day 
as  Sagadahara's  Hole. 

Martha  Gray,  "  the  baby  in  the  watchtower," 
married  Daniel  Leeman  of  Edgecomb.  Her  hus- 
band became  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  Martha 
defended  the  home  in  his  absence  as  bravely  as 
her  mother  had  defended  the  garrison.  She  was 
left  a  widow  in  1813,  with  the  care  of  six  children. 
She  was  a  woman  of  marked  integrity,  strictly 
religious,  a  consistent  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  of  Newcastle,  the  same  church  of 
which  Mrs.  Abigail  Goodhue  Bailey  was  a  member, 
and  which  made  itself  immortal  in  its  generous 
gift  of  three  hundred  dollars  toward  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Bangor  Theological  Seminary. 

In  her  advanced  life  Mrs.  Leeman  entertained 
her    great-grandchildren     by    narrating     to     them 


68  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

many  incidents  of  her  early  life.  When  a  girl  of 
eighteen,  visiting  her  sister,  who  was  married  and 
lived  in  Dresden,  she  stood  upon  the  banks  of  the 
Kennebec  and  watched  Arnold's  expedition  as,  in 
glittering  array,  its  ten  transports  moved  up  the 
river  to  Fort  Weston.  She  heard  the  music  as  it 
floated  over  the  water,  and  saw  the  troops  as  they 
disembarked  from  their  boats  on  the  opposite 
shore.  Mrs.  Leeman  lived  to  be  ninety-seven 
years  old. 

Mrs.  Joseph  Weston  was  the  first  white  woman 
that  lived  in  Somerset  County.  She  came  with 
her  husband  and  eight  children  (the  youngest  but 
a  year  old)  from  Lancaster,  Massachusetts,  to  Fort 
Halifax,  now  Winslow,  in  the  fall  of  1771,  and 
spent  the  winter  in  the  blockhouse  and  vicinity. 

In  April,  1772,  they  proceeded  up  the  Kennebec 
River  by  boat,  landing  near  the  present  town  of 
Skowhegan  where  they  made  the  first  permanent 
settlement  in  Somerset  County,  bearing  bravely 
the  hardships  of  pioneer  life. 

Mr.  Weston  tanned  the  hides  of  his  cattle,  and 
made  leather  breeches  for  himself  and  boys  and 
shoes  for  all  the  family.  He  died  in  1775,  from  a 
fever  caused  by  exposure  in  assisting  Arnold's 
expedition  to  pass  the  falls  at  Skowhegan. 


INDIAN    DEPREDATIONS  69 

Mrs.  Weston,  left  a  widow  with  a  large  family, 
toiled  on  with  hope  and  courage,  amid  great  trials 
and  dangers,  often  driven  by  hostile  Indians  to  the 
blockhouse,  built  on  an  island  in  the  river.  She 
raised  a  family  that  became  an  honor  to  the 
county. 

Her  son,  Benjamin  Weston,  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  Madison.  At  his  death  he  tilled  a  farm 
of  nearly  one  thousand  acres. 

Among  the  descendants  of  this  worthy  pioneer 
mother  were  the  Westons,  the  Flints,  the  Spauld- 
ings,  the  Coburns  and  many  others  who  have 
greatly  honored  the  Pine  Tree  State.  Gov.  Abner 
Coburn  who  served  the  state  so  ably  in  1863  was 
her  great-grandson. 

Miss  Ann  Collins,  of  Philadelphia,  married  Ed- 
ward Cloutman  (Cloudman),  and  came  with  him  to 
Gorham.  There  were  then  eighteen  families  in 
the  little  settlement. 

In  consequence  of  the  invasions  of  the  Indians, 
many  of  these  had  given  up  their  homes  and  were 
crowded  into  the  garrison,  where  they  were  obliged 
to  remain  four  years.  The  Reeds,  the  Bryants,  the 
Cloutmans,  and  a  few  others  braved  the  danijers 
outside,  preferring  the  quiet  of  their  own  log  cabins 
to  the  turbulent  garrison. 


70  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

In  the  spring  of  1746  they  were  surprised  by  the 
Indians,  many  of  them  killed,  others  taken  prison- 
ers, among  them  Mr.  Cloutman.  Mrs.  Cloutman 
struggled  on  alone,  caring  for  her  little  family  and 
eagerly  watching  for  the  return  of  her  husband. 
With  the  end  of  the  war  he  did  not  come,  and  she 
was  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  he  must  have 
perished  in  his  attempt  to  escape  from  his  captors. 
She  subsequently  married  Abraham  Anderson  and 
spent  the  remainder  of  her  life  in  Windham. 

It  is  related  of  her  that  she  sold  the  weddingr- 
dress  that  had  served  on  the  occasion  of  her  two 
marriages,  and  with  the  proceeds  bought  land, 
which  she  divided  equally  between  her  Cloudman 
and  Anderson  sons.  The  land  is  retained  in  the 
families  to-day. 


MOTHER  AND  LADY  PHIPS 


VI 

MOTHER  AND  LADY  PHIPS 

They  did  the  duty  that  they  saw; 

Each  wrought  at  God 's  supreme  desigtis, 

And  under  lovers  eternal  law 

Each  life  with  equal  beauty  shines. 

From  "  Mistress  ok  the  Manse. 


MAINE  was  very  much  mothered  in  Mrs. 
Phips.  Cotton  Mather  styles  her  the 
fruitful  mother  of  Sir  William  Phips.  Her  fam- 
ily consisted  of  twenty-six  children,  of  whom  twen- 
ty-one were  sons.  She  was  left  a  widow,  with  the 
care  of  the  family. 

Sir  William  was  born  February  2,  1651,  and 
remained  with  her  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old. 
Though  she  found  no  time  to  teach  him  to  read 
and  write,  we  may  be  very  sure  it  was  her  training 
that  led  him  into  habits  of  industry  and  virtue. 
In  consequence  of  these  habits  he  was  enabled  to 
perform  the  deeds  for  which  he  was  knighted 
by    the     king    of    England,    and    afterward    made 

73 


74  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

governor  of  the  united  provinces  of  Maine  and 
Massachusetts. 

While  yet  a  boy  he  aided  in  the  support  of  the 
numerous  family  with  his  meager  income  received 
for  tending  sheep. 

He  longed  to  become  a  sailor;  made  a  few  short 
voyages,  then  apprenticed  himself  to  a  ship-builder. 
He  soon  established  himself  in  the  business  at 
Sheepscott.  With  the  assistance  of  some  Boston 
merchants  he  built  a  vessel,  which  he  engaged  to 
load  with  lumber  in  return  for  the  aid  received. 
The  vessel  was  launched  on  the  day  of  one  of 
those  terrible  Indian  massacres,  that  drove  the 
people  in  despair  from  their  homes  to  the  ocean. 

Their  only  place  of  refuge  was  the  vessel  owned 
by  William  Phips.  This  great-hearted  man 
received  them  all,  and  soon  bore  them  beyond  the 
reach  of  Indian  depredations.  Among  those  who 
left  Maine  for  Boston  at  this  time  was  Mother 
Phips  and  her  family.  There  is  no  record  that 
she  ever  returned. 

Mary  Fairfield  Brookings  and  her  four  children 
were  also  among  the  passengers.  Her  husband 
was  shot  through  the  open  door  of  the  log  cabin 
as  he  was  kindling  the  fire  on  the  hearth  in  the 
morning. 

Mary    Brookings    fled    with     her    children,    and 


MOTHER    AND    LADY    PHIPS  75 

reached   the   vessel    in   safety.     She   afterward   re- 
turned to  Woolwich,  where  she  enjoyed  a  peaceful 
old  age,  surrounded  by  children's  children. 
Cotton  Mather  says  of  William  Phips : 

When  sailing  near  the  Kennebec  with  his  soldiers  he  pointed 
to  the  little  home  in  Woolwich,  and  said  :  "  Young  men,  it  was 
on  that  hill  that  I  kept  sheep  a  few  years  ago,  and  since  you 
see  that  Almighty  God  has  brought  me  to  something,  do  you 
learn  to  fear  God  and  be  honest  and  mind  your  business,  and 
follow  no  bad  courses,  and  you  don't  know  what  you  may 
come  to." 

While  yet  a  boy,  penniless  and  unlettered, 
William  Phips  met  his  afhnity  in  Mrs.  Hull,  a 
widowed  daughter  of  Captain  Roger  Spencer  of 
Saco.  She  was  older  than  he,  and  possessed  of 
some  fortune.  Their  affections  seem  to  have  been 
mutual.  Her  faith  in  her  boy-lover  never  faltered. 
She  listened  to  his  prophetic  visions  of  a  bright 
future  that  awaited  them,  and  which  he  never 
doubted.     'T  is  said  : 

She  entertained  these  passages  with  a  sufficient  incredulity, 
but  he  had  so  serious  and  positive  expectation  of  them  it  is 
not  easy  to  say  what  was  the  original  thereof.  He  was  of  an 
enterprising  genius,  and  naturally  disdained  littleness. 

He  often  assured  her  he  should  yet  be  captain  of  a  king's 
ship  ;  that  he  should  come  to  have  the  command  of  better  men 
than  he  was  now  accounted  himself ;  that  he  would  build  for 
her  a  fair  brick   house  in   Green  Lane   of  North    Boston,  and 


^6  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

that  may  be  this  would  not  be  all  that  the  Providence   of  God 
would  bring  him  to. 

Her  faith  was  more  than  realized.  On  his 
return  from  England,  having  commanded  the 
king's  ship,  and  being  knighted  by  the  king  for 
having  brought  vast  treasures  into  the  kingdom  in 
the  time  of  great  need,  he  proudly  conferred  on 
her  the  title  of  Lady  Phips,  she  being  the  first  of 
Maine's  daughters  to  wear  the  honor.  He  also 
presented  her  with  a  golden  cup,  valued  at  five 
thousand  dollars,  sent  to  her  by  the  Duke  of 
Albemarle  as  an  acknowledgment  of  the  honesty 
of  her  husband. 

The  fair  house  —  the  first  one  made  of  brick  in 
Boston  —  was  built  in  Green  Lane,  and  from  it 
went  forth  a  hospitality,  gentle  and  sweet  as  the 
character  of  the  lady  who  presided  over  it. 

Cotton  Mather  further  says  : 

But  if  other  people  found  him  so  kind  a  neighbor,  we  may 
easily  infer  what  a  husband  he  was  to  his  Lady. 

The  love,  even  the  fondness  with  which  he  always  treated 
her,  was  a  matter  not  of  observation,  but  even  of  admiration  — 
that  every  one  said  the  age  afforded  not  a  kinder  husband. 

This  kindness  appeared  not  only  in  his  making  it  no  less  his 
delightful  study  to  render  his  whole  conversation  agreeable  to 
her,  but  also  and  perhaps  chiefly  in  the  satisfaction  which  it 
gave  him  to  have  his  interests  in  her  keeping. 

Before  he  first  went  abroad   upon   "wrack   designs,"  he,  to 


MOTHER    AND    LADY    PHIPS  JJ 

make  his  long  absence  easier  to  her,  made  her  his  promise, 
that  what  estate  the  God  of  heaven  would  then  bestow  upon 
him  should  be  entirely  at  her  disposal,  in  case  she  survived 
him  —  and  when  Almighty  God  accordingly  bestowed  upon 
him  a  fair  estate  he  not  only  rejoiced  seeing  so  many  acts  of 
charity  done  every  day  by  her  bountiful  hand,  but  he  also,  not 
having  any  children,  adopted  a  nephew  of  hers  to  be  their  heir, 
leaving  his  large  fortune  entirely  at  her  disposal  during  her 
life. 

From  these  glimpses  of  her  character  we  may 
learn  that  Lady  Phips'  influence  was  very  marked 
upon  the  troublous  times  in  which  she  lived. 

It  is  related  that  "  while  Governor  Phips  was 
absent  in  Maine  his  kind-hearted  wife  signed  an 
order  for  the  release  of  a  lady  who  had  been 
imprisoned  for  witchcraft." 

So  orreat  was  the  excitement  that  she  herself  was 
accused  of  being  a  witch  for  the  act.  When  the 
governor  returned  his  eyes  were  opened  to  the 
enormity  of  the  great  evil,  and  it  is  said  to  have 
been  this  reflection  upon  the  character  of  his  wife 
that  led  Governor  Phips  to  perform  his  greatest 
deed  of  mercy.     A  writer  says  : 

By  wise  counsel  he  relieved  the  country  from  the  terrible 
delusion  of  witchcraft. 


FOREST  NEIGHBORS 


VII 
FOREST  NEIGHBORS 


So  delicate  with  her  needle. 

An  admirable  viiisieian\ 
O  she  could  sing  the  savageness  out  of  a  bear 
Of  so  high  and  plenteous  ivit  and  invention. 

Shakespeare. 


S 


HAKESPEARE    must    have    had    in    view, 
women   of    Maine    when    he    drew  his  ideal 


woman. 

The  recent  death  of  Rev.  Samuel  Wheeler,  the 
oldest  minister  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist  denomina- 
tion in  the  United  States,  recalls  an  incident  of  the 
wonderful  presence  of  mind  and  brave  daring  of 
his  mother. 

Charity  Linscott  Wheeler's  home  was  in  the 
woods  of  Chesterville.  On  a  bright  morning  in 
May,  1801,  having  provided  for  her  husband  dur- 
ing her  absence,  she  set  out  alone,  with  her  baby, 
6  81 


82  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Samuel,  in  Her  arms,  to  visit  her  mother,  two  miles 
away.  She  had  gone  through  the  woods  one  mile 
when  to  her  horror  she  saw  in  the  narrow  path  in 
front  of  her  a  large  bear. 

It  did  not  take  Charity  long  to  decide  what  to 
do.  She  had  heard  that  there  was  a  power  in  the 
human  voice  before  which  even  bears  quailed. 
Instead  of  attempting  to  run,  which  would  have 
been  sure  death  to  herself  and  child,  she  faced 
Bruin  and  set  up  a  loud  halloo,  shouting  at  the  top 
of  her  voice.  The  bear  slowly  moved  into  the 
bushes  near  by  and  she,  hugging  her  baby  still 
closer,  bounded  past  the  spot.  She  visited  with 
her  mother  during  the  day  and  was  accompanied 
to  her  home  at  night  by  her  brother. 

One  of  the  attractive  features  of  Lincoln  Park, 
Chicago,  is  the  bear  pit.  Partaking  of  the  general 
enthusiasm  of  the  Columbian  year,  one  of  the  bears 
scaled  the  walls  of  the  pit,  and  in  the  early  dawn 
of  the  spring  morning  found  its  way  out  of  the 
park  to  a  neighboring  residence.  It  had  climbed 
to  the  open  window  in  the  second  story,  when  the 
family  were  aroused  by  a  scream.  They  rushed  to 
the  chamber  to  find  its  occupant  in  a  fainting  con- 
dition, and  the  bear  quietly  looking  on  from  a  tree 
near  by. 


FOREST    NEIGHBORS  83 

We  do  not  wonder  that  the  modern  woman  of 
Chicago  should  faint  at  the  sight  of  even  a  civil- 
ized bear,  intruding  itself  into  her  chamber  window. 
But  the  pioneer  women  of  Maine  could  not  faint 
when  their  own  and  the  lives  of  their  little  ones 
were  at  the  mercy  of  a  savage  bear. 

Mr.  Paul  Sawyer,  of  Durham,  now  (1895) 
ninety-five  years  old,  says : 

Women  were  more  courageous  in  my  youth  than  they  are 
to-day.  My  mother  in  my  father's  absence  used  to  get  up  in 
the  middle  of  the  night  to  drive  the  bears  out  of  the  corn. 


One  night,  when  her  husband  was  away  and  she 
alone  with  her  children,  Mrs.  John  Dow,  of  Dover, 
was  alarmed  to  see  the  hog  spring  into  her  cabin 
and  hide  itself  behind  the  big  stone  fireplace. 
She  soon  discovered  that  it  was  pursued  by  a  bear. 
She  could  not  shut  him  out  as  only  a  quilt  sepa- 
rated her  from  the  forest. 

With  her  womanly  forethought  she  had  provided 
an  ample  supply  of  wood,  and  her  only  means  of 
protecting  her  family  was  the  blazing  fire,  which 
she  piled  high  during  the  entire  night,  so  frighten- 
ing the  bear  that  he  dare  not  enter,  though  he 
prowled  about  until  the  day  dawned. 

Mrs.  Dow  spent  her  last  days  in  Sebec,  living  to 
be  ninety-seven  years  old. 


84  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

The  inventive  power  of  the  mothers  was  unlim- 
ited. While  Mr.  Pitts  fretted  that  he  had  no 
bullets  with  which  to  kill  the  bear  that  was  prowl- 
ing around  destroying  his  young  cattle  and  tramp- 
ling his  corn,  his  good  wife,  Mary  Ellis  Pitts,  came 
to  his  relief.  She  cut  up  her  pewter  spoons,  with 
which  her  husband  loaded  his  gun  and  killed  the 
bear. 

One  of  the  first  white  women  to  enter  the  Sandy 
River  Valley  was  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Titcomb.  In 
1784  she  came  from  Massachusetts  with  her  hus- 
band to  Hallowell,  where  she  spent  the  winter 
while  he  prepared  their  future  home  at  Farming- 
ton.  During  his  absence  she  exchanged  her  wed- 
ding dress  for  sheep,  which  they  drove  before  them 
in  the  spring  as  they  found  their  way  on  horseback 
by  means  of  spotted  trees  to  their  log  cabin. 
Beside  many  of  their  household  goods,  which  were 
packed  about  the  saddle,  she  carried  in  her  arms 
her  babe  less  than  one  year  old. 

Her  descendants  recall  that  she  often  expressed 
her  delight  at  the  first  view  of  the  Sandy  River 
Valley,  then  as  now,  with  its  sparkling  waters, 
banked  on  either  side  by  green  intervales  dotted 
here  and  there  with  graceful  elms.  From  her 
daughter,  known  in  Farmington  as  Aunt  Lydia 
Titcomb,  the  writer  learned  the  following  story : 


FOREST    NEIGHBORS  85 

One  day  when  her  husband  was  working  in  the  clearing, 
beyond  the  reach  of  her  voice,  she  heard  an  unusual  commo- 
tion among  the  sheep,  and  looked  to  behold  an  immense  bear 
about  to  enter  the  pen.  A  woman  who  could  sacrifice  her 
wedding-gown  for  sheep,  upon  which  depended  the  future 
clothing  of  her  household,  would  not  yield  them  up  to  a  sav- 
age bear  without  a  struggle.  She  bravely  defended  them, 
keeping  the  bear  at  bay  until  the  return  of  her  husband. 

Mrs.  Titcomb's  sisters  greatly  deplored  her  isola- 
tion in  the  woods  of  the  Sandy  River,  but  her 
husband  assured  them  that  he  had  a  path  bushed 
out  for  her  all  the  way  to  Bath,  a  distance  of  about 
sixty  miles. 

To  their  query :  "  Sister,  how  did  you  feel  to 
enter  that  howling  wilderness.?"  her  reply  was 
characteristic:  "Oh,  I  felt  like  a  queen!"  And 
never  queens  ruled  over  more  loyal  subjects  than 
did  these  royal  mothers. 


REVOLUTIONARY    DAMES 


VIII 
REVOLUTIONARY  DAMES 


W/ierf  's  the  ccntmrd  that  -would  not  dare 
Tofiglit  for  siiih  a  laud. 

Scott. 


MOST  Maine  women  during  those  stirring 
times  were  Revolutionary  Dames.  Around 
their  hearthstones  they  taught  the  same  patriotism 
their  husbands  and  sons  enforced  upon  the  battle- 
field. A  new  impetus  was  given  to  emigration  to 
Maine  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution.  Many  of 
the  citizen  soldiers  were  obliged  to  accept  "land  in 
Maine,"  in  return  for  their  military  services,  and  to 
the  state  these  noble  heroes  brouofht  other  Revo- 
lutionary  Dames. 

Kata  Nixon,  daughter  of  Colonel  Thomas  Ni.xon, 
of  Framingham,  Massachusetts,  was  born  1758. 
She  was  a  girl  of  rare  intelligence,  culture  and 
courage.  At  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill 
she  went  out  on  the  Boston  Heicrhts  and  witnessed 

89 


90  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

the  contest  in  which  her  father  and  lover  were 
engaged.  She  also  witnessed  the  hanging  of  two 
men  and  a  woman.  She  was  full  of  daring,  and 
often  had  experiences  of  like  nature. 

In  1780  she  married  William  Stowell  of  Worces- 
ter, Massachusetts,  and  two  years  later  came  to 
Maine  to  live  in  a  home  prepared  by  her  husband 
on  land  grants  of  1771,  afterward  South  Paris. 
Her  first  house  was  built  of  logs,  but  with  her 
higher  culture  and  wonderful  adaptability  to  cir- 
cumstances, by  papering  it  throughout  with  birch 
bark  and  fitting  it  up  tastefully,  she  succeeded  in 
making  it  a  home  of  refinement  quite  unusual  to 
early  log-cabin  life. 

She  was  a  fine  rider  and  often  visited  her  friends 
in  Framingham  and  Worcester.  When  ready  to 
return  she  would  cut  a  whip  from  some  favorite 
tree,  to  plant  at  her  new  home.  At  the  present 
time  (1894)  there  are  several  beautiful  trees  stand- 
ing, to  commemorate  her  visits.  She  was  very 
fond  of  flowers.  Years  after  her  body  had  mingled 
with  the  dust  beautiful  flowers  bloomed  on  the  site 
of  her  log-cabin  home  —  where  she  had  planted 
them  in  her  youth. 

Unlike  most  of  the  early  settlers  she  retained 
her  aristocratic  notions,  never  allowing  herself  to 
be    affected    by  her    environments.     She    brought 


REVOLUTIONARY    DAMES  9I 

her  servants  with  her,  applying  her  own  social 
code  to  her  household.  She  was  fond  of  fine 
clothes,  and  always  had  rich  silks  and  other  beau- 
tiful garments,  in  which  she  delighted  to  array  her- 
self. She  was  a  woman  of  superior  beauty.  At 
the  time  of  her  death,  having  attained  to  fourscore 
and  four  years,  she  was  said  to  have  the  complex- 
ion of  a  child. 

Few  names  are  spoken  more  kindly  in  connec- 
tion with  the  early  history  of  the  Kennebec  than 
that  of  General  Henry  Dearborn.  He  made  his 
home  for  a  short  time  on  the  eastern  side,  now 
called  Pittston. 

His  wife,  Dorcas  Osgood,  is  spoken  of  as  a 
woman  of  culture  and  sweet  manners.  There 
were  also,  members  of  the  family  at  this  time,  two 
daughters  by  a  previous  marriage.  The  youngest, 
Augusta,  was  very  beautiful.  She  so  won  the 
hearts  of  the  people  that  the  name  Harrington, 
which  had  been  the  incorporated  name  of  the  town 
for  two  months,  was  changed  to  Augusta.  This  is 
said  to  have  been  done  at  the  suggestion  of  Judge 
Cony. 

The  mother  of  Augusta  was  Mary  Bartlette 
Dearborn  of  Newbury.     She  never  came  to  Maine. 

General   Dearborn  was  much  loved  by  the  Indi- 


92  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

ans,  and  when  their  chief,  learning  that  a  new  baby 
had  come  to  the  household,  asked  that  he  might 
name  it,  General  Dearborn  complied  with  his  re- 
quest, and  the  musical  cognomen  of  Julia  Caska- 
lina  was  conferred  upon  the  child  in  honor  of  his 
squaw,  Caskalina.  The  name  is  retained  in  the 
family,  being  worn  to-day  by  that  baby's  great- 
granddaughter,  Octavia  Caskalina  Carroll. 

Julia  Caskalina  married  Joshua  Wingate  and 
lived  in  Portland ;  she  was  famed  for  her 
hospitality. 

When  LaFayette  visited  Portland  in  June,  1825, 
he  requested  the  honor  of  calling  on  Madam  Julia 
C.  Wingate,  in  memory  of  her  father,  whom  he 
greatly  respected.  Madam  Wingate  invited  her 
lady  friends,  and  the  courteous  Frenchman  was 
greatly  pleased  to  be  introduced  to  the  fair  daugh- 
ters of   Portland. 

General  Dearborn's  third  wife  was  Sarah  Bow- 
doin.  She  was  the  widow  of  the  patron  of 
Bowdoin  College.  The  writer  is  impressed  that 
she  never  lived  in  Maine,  but  includes  her  name  as 
the  wife  of  one  whom  Maine  delights  to  honor. 

The  portrait  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Dearborn  may  be 
seen  in  the  Stuart  collection  of  the  Bowdoin  Art 
Gallery.  It  is  an  attractive  face,  partially  hidden 
by  the  profusion  of  lace  that  forms  the  head-dress 
and  drapes  the  bust. 


REVOLUTIONARY    DAMES  93 

Sally  Kingsbury  Hale  came  with  her  husband  to 
Turner  in  1802.  The  sailing  vessel  that  brought 
them  from  Boston  to  Falmouth  was  three  weeks 
on  the  passage. 

The  spirit  of  the  early  mothers  is  strikingly 
illustrated  in  the  view  she  took  of  what  her  ori-and- 
daughter  to-day  would  consider  a  long  and  almost 
unendurable  journey  to  Europe.  To  her  the  mem- 
ory of  her  ocean  voyage  was  a  constant  delight, 
and  she  ever  after  attributed  to  it  her  improved 
health.  As  no  means  could  be  devised  for  taking 
the  children  with  them  through  the  woods,  they 
were  obliged  to  leave  two  little  girls  of  five  and 
seven  years  at  Falmouth. 

Like  so  many  of  the  pioneer  women  she  brought 
to  her  wilderness  home  a  well-developed  mind. 
She  was  familiar  with  the  story  of  the  Revolution, 
in  which  her  brother  Joseph  Kingsbury,  afterward 
Doctor  Kingsbury,  was  a  soldier.  Years  afterward 
her  grandchildren  sat  around  her,  entranced  as  she 
described  to  them  the  battles  of  the  Revolution, 
giving  the  plans  and  maneuvers  as  well  as  results, 
and  the  situation  of  the  forts  and  the  distribution 
of  the  soldiers. 

She  loved  the  trees  and  flowers.  Her  husband, 
thinking  to  gratify  her  with  a  more  extended  view, 
cut  away  some  beautiful  trees,  saying  to  her  as  he 
entered  the  house:  "  Now  you  can  see   Buckfield." 


94  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

In  relating  the  incident  to  her  granddaughter 
years  afterward  she  said:  "  I  thought  with  tears  in 
my  eyes  that  I  would  rather  see  those  beautiful 
trees  than  all  Buckfield." 

"Singing  she  wrought."  In  her  advanced  life 
she  was  fond  of  minor  tunes,  especially  Hallowell, 
and  if  the  old  house  could  be  made  phonographic 
to-day  one  could  hear  ringing  within  its  walls, 

As  on  some  lonely  building  top 

The  sparrow  tells  her  moan, 
Far  from  the  tents  of  joy  and  hope 

I  sit  and  grieve  alone. 

Senator  Eugene  Hale  says  of  her: 

My  grandmother  was  a  woman  of  marked  character,  domes- 
tic and  religious  in  her  tendencies,  and  brought  up  a  large 
family  upon  whom  her  influence  was  great. 

General  Frye,  known  as  the  "  Indian  Fighter," 
brought  his  wife,  Mehitable  Poor  Frye,  to  "  the 
Hills"  in  the  town  which  now  bears  his  name, 
Fryeburg.  When  he  located  his  farm  he  said  he 
wanted  the  best  man  in  town  for  his  next  neigh- 
bor, and  the  adjoining  farm  was  given  to  Rev- 
erend William  Fessenden. 

Mehitable  Poor  Frye  braved  the  hardships  of 
the  early  pioneers  with  a  Christian  heroism.  She 
so  influenced  the  lives  of  her  children  that  her  own 


REVOLUTIONARY    DAMES  95 

integrity  and  uprightness  of  character  are  reflected 
in  the  legislative  halls  of  the  nation  to-day,  in  the 
person  of  her  great-great-grandson,  Maine's  much 
honored  senator,  Hon.  William  P.  Frye. 

Mary  Gordon  Frye,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Frye,  is 
spoken  of  as  a  lovely  Christian  character  —  a 
woman  of  refinement  and  of  unusual  attainments 
for  her  days.  She  taught  her  children  to  read  from 
the  family  Bible,  and  gave  them  careful  religious 
instruction.  She  was  greatly  beloved  by  them. 
The  late  Dr.  William  Greene,  of  Portland,  was 
one  of  her  descendants.  She  was  also  the  mater- 
nal ancestor  of  Jane  Frye  Coolidge,  who  writes  of 
another  ancestor,  Isabella  Stark  Sterling: 

It  was  while  living  in  Fryeburg  she  saw  a  deer  and  taking  a 
gun  she  went  out  and  shot  it  and  dressed  it  herself. 

She  often  shot  small  game  for  the  family.  There 
were  times  when  food  was  scarce,  and  these  moth- 
ers knew  what  hunger  was.  She  often  practiced 
shooting  with  her  three  officer-brothers,  one  of 
whom  was  the  famous  General  John  Stark  ;  and 
't  is  claimed  that  she  never  failed  to  hit  the  "  bull's 
eye,"  being  a  better  marksman  than  either  of  her 
brothers. 

Mrs.  Etta  Osgood,  of  Portland,  the  first  president 
of  the  Maine   Federation   of  Woman's  Clubs  is  a 


96  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

great-granddaughter   of  this  famous  shooter.      No 
wonder  she  goes  straight  to  the  mark. 

Susanna  Curtis  Cony,  the  daughter  of  a  clergy- 
man, was  reared  in  a  home  of  culture  and  refine- 
ment. She  married  Dr.  Daniel  Cony,  better 
known  in  Maine  as  Judge  Cony.  Soon  after  their 
marriage  (November  14,  1776)  her  husband  joined 
General  Gates  at  Saratoga  as  adjutant  of  the  regi- 
ment, and  she  early  learned  the  deprivations  and 
loneliness  of  a  soldier's  wife.  Two  years  later  they 
came  to  Hallowell,  then  Fort  Weston,  on  the  Ken- 
nebec, where  they  acquired  a  large  estate.  Mrs. 
Cony's  first  great  sorrow  came  to  her  in  the  loss  of 
her  only  child,  an  infant  daughter.  In  time,  other 
daughters  came  to  brighten  the  heart  of  this  de- 
voted mother.  She  was  a  quiet  home-woman, 
happy  to  reflect  her  husband's  fame  and  to  train 
her  four  daughters,  whose  names  are  familiar  in 
the  history  of  Maine.  She  was  much  loved  by  the 
poor  and  unfortunate,  who  found  in  her  a  kind 
sympathizer  and  a  constant  friend.  After  fifty- 
seven  years  of  married  life  she  died  having  attained 
fourscore  and  one  years.  She  lived  to  see  her 
daughters  well  married  :  Susan  Bowdoin  to  General 
Cony;  Abigail  Gould  to  Rev.  Joseph  Ingraham; 
Paulina  Bass  to  Judge  Weston;  and  Sarah  Lowell 


REVOLUTIONARY    DAMES  97 

to  Hon.  Ruel  Williams.  They  are  all  remem- 
bered as  fine  conversationalists.  Their  father 
being  judge  of  the  district,  they  greatly  aided  him 
in  entertaining  the  distinguished  guests  who  often 
came  to  the  capitol  during  the  session  of  court. 

Mrs.  Ruel  Williams  gave  a  party  in  honor  of 
Chancellor  Kent,  at  which  her  father  was  present. 
The  judge  was  very  stately  and  dignified  and  must 
have  been  greatly  shocked  as  the  merry  chancellor 
slapped  him  upon  the  shoulder  in  a  manner  quite 
unfamiliar  to  the  judge,  saying:  "You  ought  to  be 
proud  to  be  the  father  of  four  such  daughters." 
After  his  daughters  were  educated,  Judge  Cony 
founded  in  Augusta  the  Cony  Female  Academy 
for  the  benefit  of  the  daughters  of  others  less 
favored  than  his. 

The  grandchildren  to-day  revere  the  memory  of 
Grandma  Cony.  They  speak  of  her  as  the  loveliest, 
sweetest  old  lady,  who  always  had  a  pocket  and 
that  pocket  was  never  without  sweetmeats  for  them. 
Never  a  grandma  more  modest  and  beautiful. 

Another  worthy  member  of  the  Cony  family  who 
came  to  live  at  Fort  Weston  was  Priscilla  Cony,  a 
sister  of  the  judge,  who  married  Thomas  Sewall. 
She  is  the  grandmother  so  lovingly  referred  to  by 
Mrs.  Priscilla  Webster  Sewall  Pao^e  in  her  "  Per- 
sonal  Reminiscences."  She  says  maidens  were 
7 


98  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

more  thrifty  in  those  days  than  now.  Grandma's 
spare  room  was  fitted  up  with  bed-curtains  and 
counterpane  of  white  linen  spun,  woven,  bleached 
and  embroidered  with  her  own  hands. 

Rebecca  Gould  Sewall  was  married  to  John 
Ordway  Webster  in  1802.  They  resided  for  sev- 
eral years  at  Vassalboro,  afterward  removing  to 
Gardiner,  on  the  Kennebec.  She  was  the  mother 
of  nine  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Priscilla  Sewall 
Webster  Page  was  the  youngest. 

Mrs.  Paofe  writes  of  her  mother: 


*&^ 


With  all  her  cares  my  mother  always  found  some  time  for 
reading.  Our  library  was  not  extensive ;  it  contained  "  The 
Pilgrim's  Progress,"  Young's  "  Night  Thoughts,"  Milton's 
Poems,  some  biographical  and  historical  works  —  perhaps 
twenty  volumes  in  all.  My  mother's  connection  with  the  Epis- 
copal church  gave  her  access  to  a  pretty  good  library  and  her 
friends,  who  were  people  of  refinement  and  culture,  were  always 
ready  to  supply  her  with  reading  matter.  Aftei:  the  children 
were  tucked  in  bed  at  night,  she  used  to  sit  with  one  candle 
close  to  the  dying  fire  and  read  for  an  hour  or  two  before 
retiring. 

As  she  possessed  a  most  retentive  memory  she  never  forgot 
what  she  read  and  could  repeat  any  number  of  hymns  and 
pages  of  poetry,  as  well  as  give  a  most  interesting  account  of 
such  characters  as  she  had  made  herself  acquainted  with 
through  books.  Beside  these  evening  readings  my  mother 
always  kept  a  book  with  which  to  employ  herself  while  giving 
the  baby  its  refreshment,  as  at  such  times  she  could  neither 


REVOLUTIONARY    DAMES  99 

knit  nor  sew.  Time  did  not  hang  heavily  upon  her  hands  in 
those  days,  you  may  be  sure.  Clothes  to  make  and  mend ; 
food  to  be  prepared ;  the  house  to  be  kept  clean  and  orderly  — 
for  my  mother  was  a  most  particular  housekeeper  —  and  always 
baby  to  be  attended  to  But  she  was  strong  and  healthy,  brave 
and  full  of  courage,  never  neglecting  a  duty  and  finding  time 
amid  all  her  cares  to  visit  and  comfort  the  sick,  and  means  to 
administer  to  the  wants  of  the  poor  and  destitute,  of  whom 
there  were  many  around  her. 

Mrs.  Page  has  given  to  her  descendants  a  price- 
less legacy  in  her  "  Reminiscences."  She  has  pre- 
served for  the  future  student  many  delightful 
glimpses  of  the  cultured  homes  on  the  banks  of  the 
Kennebec :  the  Conys,  Sewalls,  the  Websters, 
the  Aliens,  the  Evans,  Swans,  and  many  others. 

Mrs.  Hallowell  Gardiner  and  her  five  dauijhters 
are  spoken  of  as  remarkably  lovely  women. 


SARAH   EMERY  MERRILL 


\^^^' 


#^^fe-#<3?^^^^^feg^lfeSi^X) 


IX 
SARAH  EMERY  MERRILL 


T/ie  reason  firm,  the  temperatewill. 
Endurance,  foresight,  strength  and  skill ; 
A  perfect  woman,  nobly  planned 
To  ivarn,  to  comfort  and  command. 

Wordsworth. 


SARAH   EMERY  was  born  at  West  Newbury, 
Massachusetts,  July   14,  1753,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Ezekiel   Merrill,  of  the  same  place,  June  i, 

1773- 

At  the  breaking,  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war 

Mr.  Merrill  enlisted  in  the  Continental  army,  in 
which  he  served  by  repeated  enlistments  through- 
out the  war.  He  participated  in  the  capture  of 
Burgoyne  at  Saratoga. 

About  1787  a  company  was  formed,  composed 
principally  of  those  who  had  been  comrades  in 
arms,  who  determined  to  emigrate  to  Maine,  where 
land  was  cheap  and  plenty,  offering  with  its  fertile 

103 


I04  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

soil  greater  inducements  than  could  be  found  in 
any  other  part  of  the  United  States. 

A  party  of  explorers  went  as  far  east  as  Belfast. 
On  their  return  they  visited  Sudbury,  now  Bethel, 
and  were  told  of  the  beauties  of  the  Ellis  River. 
They  spied  out  the  land  and  afterward  pur- 
chased it. 

In  1788  Deacon  Merrill  moved  his  family  of 
seven  children  to  Maine.  The  road  ended  at 
Fryeburg.  He  then  made  up  a  train  of  sixteen 
sleds,  drawn  by  men,  and  reached  Bethel,  thirty 
miles  away.  Here  the  family  remained  fourteen 
months,  while  Mr.  Merrill  penetrated  the  forest 
and  built  his  camp  on  the  site  of  their  future 
home. 

In  May,  1 789,  with  a  fleet  of  birch  canoes,  paddled 
by  Indians,  the  family  were  taken  down  the  Andro- 
scoggin to  the  mouth  of  the  Ellis  River,  where  they 
encamped  for  the  night.  The  next  day  they  pad- 
dled up  against  the  current  to  the  forks,  where 
they  were  hospitably  received  by  the  friendly  In- 
dians, whose  canoes  had  been  hired  for  the  journey. 

The  next  morning  Mrs.  Merrill  and  the  older 
children  threaded  their  way  two  miles  through  the 
woods,  but  the  little  ones  were  landed  from  canoes 
only  a  short  distance  from  their  home. 

For  two  years   Mrs.    Merrill  was  the  only  white 


SARAH    EMERY    MERRILL  IO5 

woman  in  the  place.  They  were  beyond  the  reach 
of  manufactured  articles  of  all  kinds  ;  transporta- 
tion was  almost  an  impossibility,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  make  out  of  the  crude  material  what 
they  most  needed.  For  many  years  every  article 
used  in  Andover  was  made  there.  Even  in  1831, 
when  Henry  Varnum  Poor,  Mrs.  Merrill's  grand- 
son, left  to  enter  Bowdoin  College,  every  article  he 
wore  had  been  made  from  the  raw  material  in  his 
native  town,  and  largely  on  his  father's  farm. 

The  experiences  of  the  Merrills  were  not  unlike 
those  of  Robinson  Crusoe.  The  roof  of  their  log- 
cabin  was  covered  with  bark.  The  chinks  were 
filled  with  moss.  The  huge  fireplace  was  built  of 
stones.  The  windows  had  no  glass,  and  were 
closed  when  necessary  by  slides  made  of  splints. 
Pins  of  wood  took  the  place  of  nails.  No  boards 
could  be  obtained. 

Their  household  utensils  were  largely  made  of 
birch  bark,  the  bedcord  from  the  bark  of  the  elm. 
Their  food  was  procured  with  difficulty. 

They  had  no  domestic  animals.  A  cow  was 
hired  from  Bethel  the  first  summer,  but  as  they  had 
no  hay  it  was  driven  back  through  the  woods  in 
the  late  fall.  The  sables  took  up  their  abode  in 
the  camp  and  made  themselves  useful  in  catching 
rats  and  mice. 


1 06  MOTHERS     OF     MATNE 

The  family  lived  largely  on  fish  and  game  in 
summer  and  on  cross-bills  in  the  winter.  These 
birds,  about  the  size  of  a  robin,  were  caught  in 
nets  made  of  twine,  operated  by  Mrs.  Merrill  and 
the  children,  by  means  of  a  cord  carried  into  the 
cabin  through  an  aperture  in  the  wall.  The  roots 
of  the  wild  hop,  horsement  and  watercress  were 
used  for  seasoning.  Many  wild  herbs  were  used 
for  "orreens."  The  twiors  and  bark  of  the  bass 
wood  were  boiled  in  milk  for  puddings.  The  In- 
dian women  explained  the  uses  of  many  of  these 
things  to  Mrs.  Merrill.  When  the  first  crop  of 
corn  matured  it  was  pounded  in  a  mortar,  hol- 
lowed in  a  stump,  with  a  stone  for  a  pestle. 

Mrs.  Merrill,  beside  being  a  woman  of  dauntless 
courage,  had  refined  tastes  and  social  and  religious 
aspirations.  She  lived  cheerfully  and  contentedly, 
aiding  her  husband  in  many  ways.  She  found  time 
to  teach  her  children  in  all  the  rudiments  of  knowl- 
edge. Her  practical  common-sense  and  sound 
judgment  led  her  to  bring  up  the  children  to  assist 
their  parents  in  the  struggle  they  were  making  to 
establish  a  home  in  the  wilderness. 

Metalluck,  the  "  Lone  Indian  of  the  Magallo- 
way,"  had  great  admiration  for  Mrs.  Merrill  and 
taught  her  many  of  the  Indian  arts.  He  was  very 
proud  of  his  pupil,  when  he  saw  the  garments  she 


SARAH    EMERY    MERRILL  lOJ 

had  manufactured  out  of  the  skins  of  animals  he 
had  tausfht  her  to  tan. 

o 

Mrs.  Merrill  had  been  in  her  wilderness  home  a 
little  more  than  a  year  when  there  was  born  to  her 
a  daughter,  July  13,  1790.  The  Indian  women 
showed  great  kindness  in  their  care  of  her  at  this 
time  ;  but  she  trembled  as  they  took  her  helpless 
babe  in  their  arms,  fearing  it  would  not  endure  the 
treatment  to  which  they  subjected  their  own  ;  but 
the  baby  Susan  lived,  grew  to  noble  womanhood, 
and  became  the  comforter  of  her  mother's  declining 
years. 

There  were  now  eight  children  in  the  Merrill 
family,  and  the  father  and  mother  could  not  con- 
template for  a  moment  the  idea  of  their  children 
being  deprived  of  any  educational  advantages 
within  their  reach.  Roger,  fifteen  years  of  age, 
and  Sarah  the  next  oldest,  were  sent  to  Fryeburg 
to  school.  Deacon  Merrill  took  the  two  children 
in  a  birch  canoe  down  the  Ellis  River  to  Bethel. 
From  this  place  the  father  and  son  walked  to  Frye- 
burg, leading  a  horse  which  carried  the  daughter 
and  a  pack  of  furs,  the  proceeds  of  which  were  to 
pay  the  board  and  tuition  of  the  children. 

In  1 791  other  settlers  moved  in.  Roads  were 
soon  opened,  mills  built  and  comfortable  homes 
erected.     The   Merrill  homestead,  a  fine  specimen 


I08  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

of  colonial  architecture,  still  standing  at  Andover, 
was  built  at  this  time.  The  new  country  produced 
an  inexhaustible  supply  of  the  finest  timber,  as  may 
be  seen  in  the  width  of  the  boards  of  the  wainscot- 
ing of  the  house.  The  other  materials  were  col- 
lected with  much  difficulty.  Mrs.  Merrill  set  every 
pane  of  glass  in  the  windows,  and  it  is  believed  did 
much  of  the  paneling  of  the  mantelpieces  and  the 
casements  of  the  doors  and  windows. 

In  the  large  hall  of  the  new  house,  Indians  were 
often  permitted  to  lie  stretched  along  the  floor, 
wrapped  in  blankets,  with  their  heads  toward 
the  great  brick  fireplace.  The  Merrill  home  was 
never  closed  against  the  needy  of  any  race  or  color. 
Mrs.  Merrill  had  borne  with  cheerfulness  the  hard- 
ships of  her  early  pioneer  life.  She  now  appeared 
to  equal  advantage  as  the  mistress  of  a  large  and 
ever-open  mansion. 

It  is  related  of  Mrs.  Merrill  that  on  one  occasion, 
when  a  horse  could  not  be  procured  in  Bethel,  she 
walked  the  entire  distance  of  twenty  miles  on  snow- 
shoes,  so  great  was  her  anxiety  for  her  children, 
who  had  been  left  alone  for  several  days. 

Another  instance  of  her  courage  is  shown  in  her 
defense  of  her  home  against  some  drunken  Indians, 
who  insisted  upon  entering,  finding  her  alone  with 
her  children. 


SARAH    EMERY    MERRILL  lOQ 

The  family  were  subjected  to  few  perils  of  this 
nature,  in  consequence  of  the  friendship  of  Metal- 
luck,  who  was  unchanging  in  his  devotion,  and  was 
never  weary  of  serving  the  Merrill  family. 

Deacon  and  Mrs.  Merrill  were  the  founders  of 
the  Congregational  Church  in  1800.  The  church 
edifice  was  built  in  1830. 

In  consideration  of  Mrs.  Merrill's  services  in 
encouraging  the  settlement  of  the  town,  she  was 
assigned  a  lot  of  land  in  her  own  right.  This  she 
afterwards  sold,  and  with  the  proceeds  purchased 
eight  handsome  Bibles,  which  she  presented  to  her 
children.  One  of  these  can  be  seen  at  the  old 
homestead,  owned  by  her  great-grandchildren. 

Mrs.  Merrill  lived  to  see  all  of  her  eight  children 
married  and  settled  in  homes  of  their  own.  Dea- 
con Merrill  died  March  30,  1830.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him  eighteen  years,  having  reached  the  age 
of  nearly  ninty-five  years.  Courage  and  industry 
have  rarely  been  better  illustrated  than  in  the  life 
of  this  noble,  energetic  and  Christian  woman.  Her 
life  was  rounded  out  with  good  words  and  works. 
She  will  ever  be  held  in  loving  remembrance  by 
children's  children  through  many  generations. 

The  oldest  daughter  of  Deacon  and  Sarah 
Merrill,  Sarah,  married  Peregrine  Bartlette  of 
Bethel. 


no  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Susan  Merrill  married  Nathan  Adams.  They 
made  their  home  on  the  banks  of  the  Androscog- 
gin, at  Rumford,  ten  miles  from  Andover.  The 
sudden  death  of  her  husband  left  Mrs.  Adams  a 
widow  with  six  children,  the  oldest  being  only  ten 
years  of  age.  She  had  inherited  many  of  her 
mother's  virtues. 

Mrs.  Adams  showed  great  skill,  prudence  and 
sagacity  in  the  management  of  her  affairs  which 
excited  universal  admiration.  All  of  her  business 
interests  prospered  so  that  she  was  enabled  to  pro- 
vide for  the  education  of  her  children.  She  was  a 
member  and  liberal  supporter  of  the  church  her 
parents  had  founded  and  fostered.  She  passed 
to  the  higher  life  in  1868.  Her  son,  John  Milton 
Adams  has  long  been  known  as  the  popular  editor 
of  the  Portland  Eastern  Argus. 

The  daughter  Mary,  married  Dr.  Sylvanus  Poor. 
Her  grandson,  Henry  Varnum  Poor,  now  owns  the 
Merrill  homestead,  which  overlooks  a  beautiful 
valley  —  the  abode  of  comfort  and  refinement. 
It  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  intelligent  communi- 
ties in  New  England. 


DEEDS  OF  DARING 


X 

DEEDS  OF  DARING 


The  bravest  are  the  teitderest, 
The  loving  are  the  daring. 


Bayard  Taylor. 


THE  women  of  Maine  never  faltered  in  devo- 
tion to  their  country.  Urging  their  hus- 
bands and  sons  to  the  common  defense,  they 
turned  brave  faces  to  their  desolated  homes,  often 
encompassed  by  dangers  ;  even  manning  the  forts 
when  the  men  were  stricken  down. 

A  Maine  girl  of  fifteen  years  may  be  termed  the 
heroine  of  King  Philip's  war.  Her  name  and  fam- 
ily are  unknown,  but  her  noble  deed  should  be  re- 
corded among  the  annals  of  the  brave. 

The  little  settlement  in  which  she  lived,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Kennebec,  had  been  surprised  and 
destroyed  by  the  Indians.  All  about  her  were  the 
burning  cabins,  and  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  the 
wounded  and  dying.  She  thought  of  other  settle- 
ments still  farther  down  the  river,  and  determined 
8  113 


114  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

to  warn  them  of  their  danger.  She  had  started  on 
her  way  when  she  was  pursued  by  an  Indian  and 
taken  back.  As  he  saw  her  trembling  with  fear 
he  told  her  she  was  safe,  but  her  desire  for  the 
safety  of  others  was  greater  than  for  her  own  safety. 
Watching  her  opportunity  she  again  stole  away 
on  the  perilous  journey.  She  eluded  her  pursuers 
and  traveled  fifteen  miles  through  the  woods  to 
Sheepscott.  She  had  little  difficulty  in  convincing 
the  people  of  their  danger.  They  immediately  left 
their  homes  and  fled  to  the  fort  at  Cape  Newag- 
gan,  where  they  were  saved  from  the  terrible  mas- 
sacre to  which  all  the  other  inhabitants  were 
exposed.  They  had  abundant  reason  for  grati- 
tude to  their  youthful  deliverer. 

Jonathan  Keys  of  Shrewsbury,  Massachusetts, 
and  his  wife  Sarah  (Taylor)  Keys,  were  the  first 
settlers  of  Rumford.  This  locality  was  often  vis- 
ited by  roving  bands  of  Indians  on  their  way  to 
and  from  Canada.  During  the  absence  of  her  hus- 
band a  party  of  painted  savages  approached  the 
house.  Mrs.  Keys  went  out  and  asked  whether 
they  were  for  peace  or  war.  They  answered, 
"Peace."  "Then,"  said  she,  "hand  me  your 
guns."  They  obeyed,  and  having  received  the 
weapons  she  gave    the   savages  bread   and   maple 


DEEDS    OF    DARING  II5 

sugar.  After  they  had  eaten  they  took  their  guns 
and  passed  along.  Her  husband,  on  his  return, 
not  Hking  the  aspect  of  things,  took  his  family  and 
started  at  once  for  New  Gloucester ;  a  wise  precau- 
tion, probably,  as  the  Indians  made  raids  into  Liv- 
ermore  and  Bethel  about  this  time.  Mrs.  Keys, 
the  great-grandmother  of  Judge  W.  W.  Virgin  and 
the  maternal  ancestor  of  the  Keyses  of  North 
Jay,  a  prominent  family  of  Franklin  County,  sev- 
eral of  whom,  like  Judge  Virgin,  were  heroes  of 
the  late  war  —  as  ready  to  face  their  country's  foe  as 
was  their  great-grandmother  to  hold  at  bay  Indians 
in  war-paint  and  feathers. 

Machias  was  the  scene  of  the  first  naval  engaee- 
ment  of  the  Revolution.  Captain  John  O'Brien 
had  erected  a  liberty-pole.  The  captain  of  the 
Margaretta,  an  armed  British  schooner  in  the  har- 
bor, had  ordered  that  it  be  taken  down.  Indigna- 
tion meetings  were  held  and  messengers  were  sent 
to  the  Pleasant  River  settlement  —  now  Jones- 
boro  —  for  assistance  in  its  defense. 

Hannah  Weston  of  Jonesboro  was  a  great-grand- 
daughter of  Hannah  Dustan,  and  inherited  much 
of  the  fortitude  and  heroism  of  her  worthy  ances- 
tor. When  the  call  came  to  Jonesboro  she  assisted 
her  husband  and  brothers  in  their   hasty  prepara- 


Il6  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

tion  for  the   defense   of  Machias,  and   encouraged 
the  women  as  they  bade  the  Httle  band  Godspeed. 
The   men   had   but  a  few  charges   of  powder,  and 
one  powder-horn  could  not  be  found.     She  urged 
them   to   proceed,   and  immediately  set  herself  to 
gather   up  all   the   powder,  pewter  and  lead,  going 
from  house   to   house   throughout   the    settlement. 
Only  one  able-bodied  man  had  remained  at  home. 
Hannah  Weston  had  her  eye  on  him,  but  when  her 
load   of  forty  pounds  was  ready  he  was   not  to  be 
found.     What  should  she   do  ?     What  would   any 
brave  Maine  woman,  to-day,  do?     Carry  it  herself! 
Nothing    daunted    this    heroic    woman,    taking 
as  a  companion  her  husband's  sister,  a  girl  of  six- 
teen, found  her  way  through  the  woods,  following 
the  path  marked  out  by  the  spotted  trees,  a  dis- 
tance of  sixteen  miles.     The  Margaretta  had  been 
taken  before  she  reached   Machias,  but  the  ammu- 
nition she  carried  was  used  in  a  subsequent  engage- 
ment.    For  this  brave  deed   Hannah   Weston  was 
presented  with  twelve  yards  of  camlet  at  four  shil- 
lings per   yard,    six    of    which    she    gave    to    her 
companion. 

The  islands  of  the  Maine  coast  very  early 
attracted  settlers.  On  Rutherford's  Island  lived 
Sylvanus  and   Mary   Williams    Coombs.     She  was 


DEEDS    OF    DARING  II7 

of  Welsh  descent ;  a  woman  remarkable  for  her 
bravery  and  patriotism.  The  British  often  called 
at  the  island  for  supplies.  On  one  occasion  she 
overheard  a  conversation  and  learned  that  they 
were  to  seize  an  American  schooner.  Like  Lydia 
Darrah,  she  determined  to  thwart  the  enemy's  plans. 
She  communicated  the  intelligence  to  her  hus- 
band, who  being  closely  watched  by  the  British  did 
not  dare  to  absent  himself. 

In  order  to  reach  the  cove  where  the  vessel  lay 
at  anchor,  it  was  necessary  to  travel  through  a  dense 
wilderness  inhabited  by  wild  beasts.  Even  this 
circumstances  did  not  daunt  the  intrepid  spirit  of 
Mary  Coombs.  She  took  the  journey  in  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night,  informing  her  friends  in  time  for 
them  to  strip  the  vessel,  rendering  it  useless  to  the 
enemy. 

Four  children  gladdened  the  island  home  of 
Mary  and  Sylvanus  Coombs.  The  mother  was 
highly  domestic,  but  did  not  fail  to  educate  and 
train  her  children  to  habits  of  industry  and  virtue. 
For  many  years  she  practiced  as  midwife  and  nurse, 
being  the  only  physician  of  the  region,  often  travel- 
ing miles  in  the  darkness  of  midnight  to  administer 
relief  to  the  suffering. 

Her  son,  Captain  Samuel  Coombs,  received  from 
France,  as  a  mark  of  respect  and  honor,  a  coat  of 


Il8  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

arms  bearing  the  motto :  "  Vincit  omnia  Veritas.''' 
("  Truth  conquers  all  things.")  His  wife,  Hannah 
Coombs,  was  eminent  in  her  domestic  virtues. 
The  care  of  her  seven  children  devolved  largely 
upon  her  in  consequence  of  the  necessary  absence 
of  her  husband.  Both  Mary  and  Hannah  Coombs 
witnessed  the  contest  between  the  Boxer  and 
Enterprise. 

Among  the  names  of  those  who  defended  their 
homes,  even  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  should  be 
written  that  of  Mrs.  Sophia  Dorman  of  Harrington. 

In  the  early  thirties  Sophia  Rice  Baker,  with  her 
husband  and  three  children,  accompanied  an  expe- 
dition from  Massachusetts  to  the  St.  John  River. 
They  traveled  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  their  only  means  of  conveyance  being  two 
birch  canoes,  which  the  men  carried  from  river  to 
river  on  their  backs.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  selected 
for  their  home  a  site  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
St.  John,  near  a  small  stream  now  called  Baker 
Brook,  six  miles  below  Fort  Kent.  As  the  bound- 
ary line  between  the  United  States  and  British  ter- 
ritory was  unsettled,  they  afterward  purchased  the 
land  from  Coffin  and  Irish,  land  agents  for  Maine 
and  Massachusetts. 


DEEDS    OF    DARING  II9 

Mrs.  Baker  was  a  woman  of  commanding  pres- 
ence, benevolent,  intelligent,  broad-minded,  kind 
and  affectionate;  a  faithful  wife  and  mother. 

Loyal  to  the  United  States,  Mrs.  Baker  deter- 
mined to  "show  her  colors";  but  alas!  she  had 
no  flag.  How  should  she  obtain  one  ?  The  near- 
est trading-post.  Grand  Falls,  was  many  miles 
away.  The  only  means  of  conveyance  was  a 
pirogue,  a  boat  made  by  digging  out  a  log.  Mrs. 
Baker  ventured.  Thirty  miles  down  the  river  in  a 
log,  accompanied  only  by  a  single  oarsman,  was  no 
obstacle  to  her  patriotism. 

Bunting  was  not  a  commodity  of  the  St.  John 
River  of  that  day,  but  with  womanly  instinct  she 
selected  the  red,  the  white  and  the  blue. 

Again  thirty  miles  on  the  river,  now  against  the 
current.  There  is  a  legend  that  on  her  return 
Mrs.  Baker  poled  the  log  boat  alone.  With  skil- 
ful fingers  the  triad  of  colors  was  woven  into  the 
starry  flag.  Aided  by  her  husband  she  flung  it  to 
the  breeze  on  the  Fourth  of  July. 

This  act  was  thought,  by  those  in  sympathy 
with  Great  Britain,  to  be  disloyal,  and  out  of  it 
grew  the  Aroostook  war  and  the  final  settlement 
of  the  northern  and  eastern  boundary  line  of  the 
United  States. 

Even   to  extreme   old   age   Sophia  Baker  loved 


I20  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

her  country's  flag.  At  the  sight  of  it  her  counte- 
nance would  light  up  with  patriotic  enthusiasm. 
To  her  it  was  "  Old  Glory." 

Her  daughter,  Mrs.  Adeline  Slocombe,  partakes 
very  largely  of  her  mother's  patriotic  spirit.  She 
inherits  her  loyalty  to  the  starry  banner.  She  par- 
takes also  of  her  mother's  faith.  She  is  a  Baptist 
in  religion,  as  loyal  to  her  church  as  to  her  flag. 
After  her  marriage  she  resided  a  while  at  Baker 
Brook,  but  settled  permanently  at  Fort  Fairfield. 
Here  she  tenderly  cared  for  her  mother,  left  a 
widow  in  her  declining  years. 

Mrs.  Baker  lived  through  a  century  save  two 
years,  being  ninety-eight  years  of  age  at  her  death. 
She  was  buried  at  Fort  Fairfield.  It  was  a  con- 
stant source  of  grief  to  Mrs.  Slocombe  that  her 
father's  body  rested  on  alien  soil.  Through  her 
efforts,  even  at  fourscore,  aided  by  her  son-in-law. 
Captain  Scates,  the  legislature  of  1894  and  1895 
appropriated  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  the 
removal  of  Mr.  Baker's  remains,  and  the  erection 
of  a  suitable  monument  at  Fort  Fairfield  to  the 
memory  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker.  This  was  un- 
veiled, with  appropriate  ceremony,  October  3,  1895. 
It  bears  the  inscription  : 

John  Baker,  Jan.  17,  1796  —  Mar.  10,  1S68. 
Sophia,  his  wife,  Mar.  17,  1785 — Feb.  23,  1883. 


DEEDS    OF    DARING  121 

The  story  of  the  flag  is  recorded  in  song  by  one 
of  Maine's  worthy  sons  —  the  Hon.  John  D.  Long, 
ex-governor  of  Massachusetts : 

They  pitched  their  tent  at  last,  and  dwelt 
Just  on  the  British  border-belt, 
But  in  her  heart  rose  all  the  higher 
Her  country's  love,  the  patriot's  fire  ; 
And  when  the  clouds  of  war  arose. 
Right  under  the  British  lion's  nose, 
With  scanty  means,  but  loving  hand. 
She  wrought  the  flag  of  her  native  land, 
And  on  the  Independence  morn, 
Fearless  of  neighbor's  hate  or  scorn, 
The  starry  banner  she  flung  abroad 
In  liege  to  country  and  to  God. 

The  penalties  of  treason  fell  : 

Her  husband  thrust  in  a  felon's  cell ; 

But  when  they  threatened  her  goods  and  home, 

They  met  a  matron  straight  from  Rome, 

Who,  braving  the  mob  and  the  British  throne, 

With  but  a  broomstick  held  her  own. 

Immortal  woman  of  Fredericktown, 
Let  Sophia  Baker  share  your  crown  ! 
Of  patriot  heroines  not  the  least 
This  Barbara  Freitchie  of  the  East. 

During  the  war  of  1812  the  coast  towns  and 
settlements  on  the  large  rivers  were  in  constant 
danger  of  an  attack  by  the  British  fleet.     Eastport, 


122  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

Machias,  Castine,  Belfast  and  Portland  were  con- 
stantly menaced.  Many  families  left  their  homes 
and  suffered  great  hardships.  The  British  officers 
were  often  outgeneraled  by  the  Maine  women. 
They  buried  their  silver  and  other  valuables.  At 
Hampden  the  men  were  all  taken  prisoners  and 
carried  to  Castine  ;  their  houses  were  plundered ; 
their  wives  insulted  and  subjected  to  many  indigni- 
ties. One  of  the  ofBcers  ransacked  the  home  of 
Mrs.  Rebecca  C.  S.  Wheeler,  and  finding  she  had 
concealed  most  of  her  valuable  articles  he  seized 
her  feather  bed  and  started  for  his  boat ;  but  Mrs. 
Wheeler  followed  and  demanded  its  restoration. 
'T  is  said  the  officer  was  glad  to  drop  it  and  run. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Wheeler  Crosby  sent  most  of  her 
children  to  the  home  of  a  friend  in  a  remote  part 
of  the  town.  She  kept  her  boy,  Daniel,  with  her. 
One  little  girl,  more  delicate  than  the  others,  she 
put  to  bed  —  it  is  thought  the  bed  contained  many 
valuables  —  and  hung  out  a  flag  of  sickness,  refus- 
ing to  leave  the  house  till  the  officer  in  command 
gave  her  a  guard. 

The  boy  was  terribly  frightened,  and  begged  his 
mother  to  leave,  but  she  stood  firm  until  she  saw 
the  guard  stationed.  Balls  were  whizzing  through 
the  air  as  she  went  to  look  after  the  safety  of  her 
other  children. 


DEEDS    OF    DARING  123 

Even  the  carefully  prepared  trousseau  of  her 
dauo^hter  Sarah  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  maraud- 
ers.  The  linens  were  homespun,  but  her  gowns 
had  been  brought  from  abroad  in  General  Crosby's 
ships. 

Their  home  was  completely  stripped ;  what 
could  not  be  removed  was  mutilated.  Many  valu- 
able articles  were  thrown  into  the  hopper  of  the 
mill  and  ground ;  heads  were  knocked  out  of  bar- 
rels containing  molasses  and  other  liquids.  So 
thorough  was  the  destruction  that  when  the  pillage 
was  over  Mrs.  Crosby  and  her  daughters  were 
obliged  to  borrow  clothing  of  their  friends  in  Ban- 
gor till  they  could  spin  the  thread,  have  the  cloth 
woven,  and  make  new  garments. 

When  Mrs.  Crosby  and  her  children  returned 
to  their  desolated  home  the  girls  were  heartsick, 
but  this  brave  Maine  mother  was  equal  to  the 
emergency. 

Among  the  legacies  cherished  in  the  family  is 
Mrs.  Crosby's  counsel  on  this  occasion  : 

Well,  girls  !  This  is  no  time  for  crying  or  mourning  !  Our 
work  is  before  us,  and  we  must  set  about  it  with  a  will. 

On  his  return  from  Castine  General  Crosby 
brought  back  a  part  of  Sarah's  bridal  outfit. 

The  following  letter,  addressed  to   Mrs.   Evelyn 


124  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Whitehouse  by  her  cousin,  contains  a  mental  pho- 
tograph of  their  grandmother,  Mrs.  Crosby,  too 
valuable  to  be  abridged: 

ToPEKA,  Kansas,  Oct.  6,  1895. 

Mv  Dear  Cousin  :  —  Your  letter  has  just  reached  me  and  I 
hasten  to  tell  the  little  I  know  of  our  grandmother. 

Her  maiden  name  was  Sallie  Wheeler.  She  married  our 
grandfather,  General  John  Crosby,  at  Hampden  about  1785. 
I  think  Hampden  was  her  native  place,  as  the  Wheelers  were 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  in  Penobscot  County. 

My  father  was  a  reticent  man  and  talked  but  little  of  his 
early  life.  I  have  dim  memories  of  stories  that  gave  us  chil- 
dren the  impression  that  his  mother  was  the  embodiment  of 
goodness  and  courage.  Alas  !  they  are  too  indistinct  to  be  of 
much  use  ! 

I  can  remember  being  told  of  her  running  bullets  all  night 
before  the  famous  Hampden  battle.  I  have  often  heard  the 
story  of  her  rowing,  when  only  a  girl,  by  the  light  of  a  pine 
torch  on  a  dark  night,  five  or  six  miles  for  the  doctor,  there 
being  no  one  else  to  go. 

I  am  sure  she  was  a  large-hearted,  noble  woman,  much  given 
to  hospitality.  One  chamber  in  her  home  went  by  the  name  of 
the  "  Prophet's  Room  "  and  was  seldom  without  its  guest. 

Our  grandfather  was  an  active  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  and  deacon  for  many  years.  I  presume  his  wife  had 
the  same  faith. 

My  mother  used  to  often  say  that  the  poor  and  distressed 
always  applied  to  grandmother  for  aid,  and  were  never  refused, 
and  that  her  good  deeds  were  done  in  the  most  quiet  and  un- 
obtrusive manner. 

There  are  stories  too  of  her  independence  and  energy  that 


DEEDS    OF    DARING  1 25 

show  she  was  equal  to  any  call  upon  her  time  and  strength. 

I  am  not  able  to  give  particular  cases,  and  have  only  a  gen- 
eral idea  of  a  strong,  energetic,  kind-hearted  woman,  whom  we 
may  be  proud  to  call  our  grandmother. 

Affectionately  yours, 

E.  K.  Crosry. 

Many  of  the  deprivations  of  the  early  Maine 
mothers  were  repeated  in  the  experiences  of  the 
Swedish  women  of  the  first  colony  to  New  Sweden, 
Aroostook  County.  There  were  fifty-one  colonists, 
eleven  of  whom  were  women.  They  are  described 
as  industrious  and  expert  in  the  use  of  the  spin- 
ning wheel  and  the  loom. 

A  visit  to  the  thriving  village  which  has  recently 
celebrated  its  twenty-fifth  anniversary  impresses 
one  with  the  industry  and  integrity  of  these 
adopted  citizens.  But  there  are  tales  of  heroic 
endurance  and  patient  suffering  known  only  to  the 
mothers  whose  diffidence  and  modesty  induced 
them  to  bear  all  things  without  complaining. 

The  story  of  the  bunch  of  shingles  has  been 
made  familiar  in  prose  and  verse.     It  is  briefly  told: 

A  Swedish  woman,  whose  husband  was  sick,  found  that  her 
provisions  were  almost  out,  and  she,  instead  of  obtaining  aid 
from  the  authorities,  went  into  the  woods,  cut  the  rift,  and  with 
her  own  hands  shaved  a  bunch  of  shingles,  and  taking  them 
upon  her  back  walked  to  the  store  of  Sawin  &  Teague,  a  dis- 
tance of  three  and  one-half  miles,  where  she  exchanged  them 
for  medicine  and  provisions. 


126  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

This  bunch  of  shingles  can  be  seen  in  the  State 
House  at  Augusta,  but  the  name  of  the  woman  has 
never  been  given ;  and  now  comes  the  remarkable 
circumstance.  After  repeated  efforts  to  obtain  the 
name  in  full,  the  following  letter  was  received : 

New  Sweden,  Oct.  8,  1895. 

My  Dear  Madam  :  —  Yours  of  the  7th  inst.  is  at  hand, 
regarding  the  inquiry  of  the  lady  who  made  and  carried  a 
bunch  of  shingles  five  miles  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  med- 
icine for  her  sick  husband.  The  woman's  name  is  Mrs.  John 
Carlson.  Her  Christian  name  being  Kerstin.  She  is  a  lady 
of  good  health  and  of  fine  muscular  development,  and  if 
pushed  by  any  emergency  would  not  hesitate  a  moment  to  per- 
form the  task  over  again.  (Remember  this  is  my  judgment  in 
the  case.)     I  have  had  several  inquiries  of  late  in  regard  to  this. 

As  a  matter  of  course  I  instituted  some  search,  and  would 
you  believe,  Madam,  there  are  over  a  dozen  claimants  for  the 
honor,  and  I  believe  every  one  tells  the  truth.  Some  even 
claim  to  have  made  several  thousand  shingles  and  carried  them 
further  than  the  party  in  question. 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

F.  O.  Landgrave. 

Duringr  the  Civil  war  there  lived  in  Eastern 
Maine  an  aged  couple  whose  political  views  dif- 
fered widely.  The  mother  had  given  her  sons  at 
the  country's  call,  and  followed  them  with  all  the 
yearnings  of  a  mother's  heart ;  but  the  father,  a  de- 
vout religionist,  given  to  long  and  loud  prayers, 
had  always  been  a  sympathizer  with  slavery. 


DEEDS    OF    DARING  12/ 

One  day,  in  that  dark  period  when  many  stout 
hearts  quailed  and  questioned,  the  husband  had 
shut  himself  into  the  barn  and  was  praying.  For 
him  to  pray  was  to  shout  and  to  weep.  He  impor- 
tuned God  that  he  would  bless  the  cause  of  the 
South  —  that  he  would  send  confusion  into  the 
camp  of  their  enemies  The  good  mother  endured 
the  prayer  as  long  as  she  could,  then  caught  her 
broom  and  hastened  to  the  spot.  Bringing  it  down 
in  no  light  manner  on  the  head  of  the  suppliant 
she  vehemently  cried :  "  I'll  strike  one  blow  for  my 
country,  you  old  rebel ! " 

O,  what  a  broomstick  unexpected  ! 

Goethe  in  Faust. 


LUCY  KNOX 


XI 
LUCY  KNOX 


Yesterday  the  greatest  question  was  decided  xvhich  ever  was  debated  in  Amer- 
ica ;  and  a  greater  perhaps  never  was,  nor  will  be,  decided  among  men. 

John  Adams  to  Abigail  Adams,  July  3,  1776. 

BEFORE  the  Revolution  the  London  Book 
Store  on  Cornhill,  Boston,  kept  by  Henry 
Knox,  was  a  fashionable  resort  for  British  officers 
and  Tory  ladies  of  literary  tastes.  Henry  Knox 
was  of  Boston  birth  and  culture,  which  made  him 
a  favorite  with  the  scholars  of  that  day. 

Lucy  Flucker,  the  daughter  of  Hannah  Waldo 
and  Secretary  Flucker,  was  a  "  high-toned  loyalist 
of  great  family  pretensions."  As  a  young  lady  she 
developed  literary  tastes,  and  was  permitted  to  in- 
spect the  books  of  the  young  merchant  at  her 
pleasure.  As  Lucy  studied  books  Henry  Knox 
studied  Lucy,  and  evidently  thought  though  she  be 

The  daughter  of  a  hundred  earls 
she  is  the  one  to  be  desired. 

131 


132  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

They  were  married  on  the  sixteenth  of  June, 
1774,  and  both  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Her  family  opposed  and  bitterly  deplored 
her  marriage,  predicting  that  she  would  eat  the 
bread  of  poverty  and  dependence. 

During  the  exciting  days  of  1775  and  1776  all 
her  family  friends  left  Boston  for  Halifax,  and  sub- 
sequently made  their  home  in  England.  Lucy 
Knox  turned  from  all  that  had  before  been  dear  to 
her  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  her  husband. 

When  General  Gage  denounced  as  rebels  all 
who  were  found  aiding  the  cause  of  the  colonists, 
and  forbade  any  one  to  leave  Boston  without  per- 
mission, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knox  quietly  quitted  the 
town,  Mrs.  Knox  preserving  her  husband's  sword 
by  quilting  it  between  the  linings  of  her  cloak. 

They  joined  the  American  camp  at  Cambridge. 
'T  is  said  of  Lucy  Knox  : 

She  followed  the  army,  and  her  presence  and  cheerful  man- 
ners did  much  to  diffuse  contentment  and  enliven  scenes. 

The  soldiers  could  not  murmur  at  privations 
which  she  endured  without  complaint. 

"  Sad  it  is,"  says  Mrs.  Ellet  in  her  history  of 
"  Women  of  the  Revolution,"  that  "  no  record  re- 
mains of  the  ministrations  of  women  in  thus  soft- 
ening war's   grim  features."     The   good   they  did. 


LUCY    KNOX  133 

however,  was  at  the  time  acknowledged  with  re- 
spectful gratitude.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that 
General  Knox  often  deferred  to  his  wife's  judg- 
ment, regarding  her  as  a  superior  being,  and  it  is 
said  that  her  influence  and  superiority  were  owned 
by  Washington  himself." 

As  the  wife  of  the  brilliant  secretary  of  war, 
Lucy  Knox  ranked  next  to  Mrs.  Washington  in 
the  social  scale  of  the  nation. 

Lucy  Knox  inherited  from  her  grandfather, 
Samuel  Waldo,  a  part  of  the  famous  "  Waldo  Pa- 
tent." General  Knox,  by  purchase,  secured  the 
remaining  shares.  Their  estate  comprised  the 
greater  part  of  the  present  counties  of  Penobscot, 
Waldo  and  Knox. 

In  1795  they  established  their  home  at  Thomas- 
ton,  selecting  a  charming  sport  on  the  banks  of  the 
George's  River. 

In  the  Old  South  Meeting-house,  Boston,  may 
be  seen  a  pen  and  ink  sketch  of  Montpelier,  the 
home  of  General  and  Madam  Knox.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  that  a  building  so  famous  in  the  early 
history  of  the  nation  should  have  been  permitted 
to  fall  into  decay. 

This  French  villa,  with  its  grand  staircase,  and 
broad  halls  with  open  fireplaces  and  carved  wood- 
work was  the  scene  of  many  festivities.       The  hos- 


134  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

pitality  of  General  and  Madam  Knox  was  unlim- 
ited, and  many  distinguished  visitors  were  among 
their  guests.  Louis  Philippe  and  Talleyrand 
brought  letters  of  introduction  to  General  Knox, 
and  were  made  welcome  beneath  his  roof. 

It  was  not  unusual  for  shiploads  of  people  from 
Philadelphia  and  other  cities  to  arrive  at  Montpe- 
lier.  At  one  time  the  entire  tribe  of  Penobscot 
Indians  were  their  guests. 

How  Lucy  Knox  managed  her  cuisine  we  are  not 
told,  but  of  their  larder  Sullivan  tells  us  :  "  An  ox 
and  twenty  sheep  were  killed  every  Monday  morn- 
ing." A  hundred  beds  were  made  up  daily  in  the 
house.  In  the  stable  were  twenty  saddle-horses 
and  several  pairs  of  carriage-horses.  No  finer 
equipage  was  seen  on  the  streets  of  Boston  than 
that  of  Lucy  Knox. 

In  those  early  days  when  the  roads  of  Maine 
would  hardly  admit  of  land  travel  from  Thomaston 
to  Boston,  she  must  have  taken  horses,  carriage, 
coachman  and  footman  on  board  of  the  sailing 
vessel  on  which  she  herself  embarked,  reaching 
Boston  only  after  days  upon  the  ocean. 

The  busy,  gay  life  at  Montpelier  was  brief. 
General  Knox  died  in  1806,  leaving  Madam  Knox 
greatly  embarrassed  financially.  Of  twelve  chil- 
dren only  three  survived  their  father. 


LUCY    KNOX  135 

Lucy  Knox  is  remembered  by  her  neighbors  as  a 
woman  of  commanding  presence.  Even  at  three- 
score she  had  brilhant  black  eyes  and.  a  florid  coun- 
tenance. They  always  deferred  to  her  intellectual 
superiority,  but  had  very  little  sympathy  with  her 
aristocratic  pretensions.  She  often  deplored  death, 
mourning  most  of  all  that  her  head  must  lie  as  low 
as  others.  Her  manner  of  living  was  severely 
criticised  by  the  clergy,  and  yet  many  ministers 
were  among  her  guests.  Though  restricted  in 
means,  Lucy  Knox  continued  active  in  her  chari- 
ties and  in  the  exercise  of  her  generous  hospitality 
during  the  eighteen  years  of  her  widowhood. 


BUSINESS  WOMEN 


XII 
BUSINESS  WOMEN 


Methinks  we  see  thee  as  in  olden  lime  — 

Simple  in  garb  majestic. 
Thou  didst  not  deem  it  woman^s  part  to  waste 

Life  ill  inglorious  sloth. 

SiGOURNEY. 


AMONG  the  business  women  of  Portland  be- 
fore the  Revolution,  we  find  the  names  of 
Barbara  Robinson,  Mary  Moody,  Mary  Bradbury, 
Mary  Woodbury  and  Esther  Woodbury. 

Mrs.  Mary  Phillips  Munjoy,  of  the  early  days  of 
Portland,  was  a  Boston  woman  of  great  strength 
of  character.  After  the  death  of  her  husband, 
George  Munjoy,  the  title  to  her  lands  was  ques- 
tioned. Mary  Munjoy,  as  a  business  woman,  ap- 
pealed to  the  general  government  of  Massachusetts. 
The  selectmen  of  the  town  of  Casco  were  induced 
to  grant  her  claim.  It  was  agreed  that  the  "  Said 
Mary  shall  have,  retain  and  enjoy  the  easterly  end 
of  said    Neck    of  land    whereupon    her   husband's 

139 


140  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

house   stood,  also    House   Island  and   other  small 
islands." 

Mary  Munjoy  established  her  home  upon  the 
hill  that  bears  her  name  to-day. 

Mrs.  Mehitable  Bangs  Preble  impressed  herself 
upon  the  business  community  of  Portland  as  a 
woman  of  energy,  well  fitted  for  the  arduous  du- 
ties that  devolved  upon  her.  Under  her  wise  man- 
agement the  business  interests  of  the  family  were 
largely  increased  and  property  improved,  while  her 
husband  was  called  to  attend  to  his  various  polit- 
ical and  military  duties.  When  the  town  of  Fal- 
mouth was  burned  by  Mowatt,  he  gave  the  people 
a  few  hours  in  which  to  remove  their  goods.  Mrs. 
Preble  even  thought  of  the  pigs,  and  liberated 
them  with  her  own  hands,  saying:  "  It  would  be  a 
shame  to  leave  dumb  creatures  to  be  burned." 

She  outlived  the  stormy  period  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, surviving  her  husband  many  years.  She  died 
in  1805,  one  of  the  few  women  of  that  early  time 
who  made  her  will.  She  divided  her  property 
equally  among  her  seven  children,  leaving  a  legacy 
for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  widows  of  Portland. 

Madam  Dorcas  Milk  Deering  of  Portland  man- 
aged  the   business  interests   of  the   family  during 


BUSINESS    WOMEN  I4I 

the   Revolution,  while   her  husband  was  called  to 
sacrifice  his  home  to  the  welfare  of  the  nation. 

She  gave  personal  attention  to  the  details  of  the 
business  in  the  little  store  at  Clay  Cove.  She  is 
spoken  of  as  sagacious,  shrewd  and  enterprising. 
After  the  death  of  her  husband  she  maintained  the 
dignity  of  her  mansion-house,  which  occupied  the 
site  of  the  present  post-office. 

Madam  Preble,  so  often  spoken  of  in  the  later 
history  of  Portland,  was  Mary  Deering  Preble, 
daughter  of  Madam  Dorcas  Deering,  and  the  wife 
of  Commodore  Preble.  An  interesting  letter  is 
published  in  Gould's  "  Portland  of  the  Past,"  writ- 
ten by  Commodore  Preble  to  his  future  mother-in- 
law,  showing  that  the  young  men  who  would  win 
the  daughters  must  first  conciliate  the  mothers. 
It  is  a  dignified  epistle  and  worthy  the  attention  of 
all  young  men  with  like  aspirations. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Fairfield  Hamilton,  of  Saco,  kindly 
furnishes  the  following  sketch  of  her  mother,  Anna 
Paine  Fairfield.  Her  family  name  was  Thornton. 
She  was  named  for  her  aunt,  Anna  Paine  Cutts,  a 
sister  of  Dolly  Paine  Madison. 

My  mother  was  a  person  of  strong  character  —  a 
singularly  retiring    person  —  her    real    personality 


142  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

was  known  only  by  her  own  family  and  a  few 
friends.  She  was  really  a  very  genial,  fun-loving 
woman ;  but  when  a  stranger  entered  her  home 
life,  she  seemed  to  retire  within  herself ;  and  occa- 
sionally was  seen,  what  is  not  rare  with  reserved 
persons,  a  sort  of  hide-and-go-seek  of  the  two  per- 
sonalities. When  occasional  glimpses  of  the  gen- 
ial wit  made  the  desire  for  more  too  decided  upon 
the  part  of  the  visitor,  the  jocose,  playful  woman 
disappeared,  and  the  reserved  manner  was  thrown 
over  her  like  a  veil.  In  later  years  the  real 
woman  gained  the  victory,  and  the  forbidding 
aspect  melted  away  into  a  genial,  sunny  old  age. 

My  mother  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas  G. 
Thornton,  who  held  the  office  of  marshal  of  Maine 
(when  Maine  was  a  district  of  Massachusetts)  for 
many  years,  and  until  his  death.  Her  mother  was 
a  daughter  of  Colonel  Thomas  Cutts,  the  landed 
proprietor  of  this  region,  who,  it  was  said,  could 
travel  on  horseback  from  Saco  to  Canada  and  sleep 
in  his  own  house,  on  his  own  land,  every  night. 
My  mother  was  reared  in  luxury  that  only  the  few, 
even,  knew  at  that  day.  She  was  the  especial 
favorite  of  her  father,  and  often  accompanied  him 
on  his  long  drives.  He  spoke  of  her  facetiously, 
as  one  who  had  good  "  attic  furniture." 

At  her  father's  death  she  inherited,  with  eleven 


BUSINESS    WOMEN  1 43 

brothers  and  sisters,  what  was  considered  at  that 
time  a  comfortable  httle  sum  of  money.  But  she 
knew  nothing  of  it  herself.  At  her  marriage  it  was 
given  to  my  father  by  her  guardian,  and  she  never 
really  knew  the  exact  sum  herself.  It  probably 
occurred  to  none  of  them  that  there  was  any  other 
way  to  dispose  of  her  money.  Later  it  was  all  lost 
with  so  much  other  capital  in  the  state  in  the 
"  Eastern  Land  speculation." 

My  father  was  very  early  in  life  singled  out  as 
one  to  sacrifice  his  private  life  and  interests  to  the 
good  of  his  town,  state  or  country.  It  left  my 
mother  with  the  care  of  a  family  on  a  less  income 
than  his  regular  law  practice  would  have  brought 
to  them.  A  letter  is  in  my  possession  in  which 
he  urges  a  friend  of  larger  means  to  allow  himself 
to  become  the  candidate  for  governor,  in  which 
he  says,  "  I  with  my  little  growing  family,  cannot 
afford  to  take  it.  You  must  take  it,"  His  friend 
replied,  "You  are  the  man,  the  people  demand 
you  ; "  and  four  times  he  was  chosen  governor. 

At  the  time  of  his  first  election,  before  the  days 
of  telegraphs  or  even  railroads  in  Maine,  a  courier 
was  sent  by  night  from  Portland  to  Saco  with  the 
news  of  the  election.  My  mother  went  to  the  door 
to  enquire  the  cause  of  a  visitor  at  that  time  of 
night.       Upon    learning    his    errand    she    simply 


144  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

thanked  him,  and  concluded  that  a  good  night's 
rest  was  worth  more  to  her  sleeping  husband 
than  the  announcement  of  his  governorship  at  that 
hour.  So  she  returned  to  her  slumbers,  and  in  the 
morning  quietly,  but  with  a  little  sly  fun,  informed 
him  of  his  election. 

After  his  first  entrance  into  public  life  until  his 
death,  at  the  age  of  fifty,  in  1847,  he  was  absent 
from  home  a  large  part  of  the  time.  My  father  and 
mother  had  purchased  a  farm,  thinking  it  a  better 
place  for  rearing  a  family  of  children. 

My  father's  death  was  the  result  of  an  unsuccess- 
ful operation  upon  his  knee,  by  the  culpable  care- 
lessness of  an  intoxicated  physician  in  Washington, 
The  news  of  his  death  came  like  a  thunderbolt 
from  a  clear  sky  to  my  mother.  She  was  left  a 
widow  with  eight  children,  the  eldest  in  college 
and  the  youngest  a  baby  in  her  arms,  with  a  farm 
to  cultivate,  and  less  than  three  hundred  dollars 
income. 

The  first  evening,  after  the  tidings  of  my  father's 
death  in  the  morning,  my  mother  was  alone  with 
her  children,  the  remembrance  of  her  quietly  put- 
ting out  one  wick  of  a  common  oil-lamp,  saying, 
"  Children,  we  cannot  afford  to  burn  two  wicks  of 
the  lamp  when  one  will  answer,"  has  always  been 
vivid  in  my  mind ;  but  the  grim  pathos  of  the  act 


BUSINESS    WOMEN  1 45 

was  only  appreciated  in  mature  years.  That  same 
fortitude  and  calm  acceptance  of  the  present  situa- 
tion always  characterized  her.  In  the  long  strug- 
gle before  her  she  needed  it  all. 

My  father's  death  occurred  three  weeks  after  the 
opening  of  the  session  of  Congress  at  Washington. 
He  left  a  letter  to  my  mother  telling  her  of  the  in- 
tended operation,  leaving  it  to  finish  after  it  was 
over,  to  thus  save  her  an  anxious  moment.  The 
letter  was  never  finished. 

It  seems  strange  now  in  these  days  of  pensions 
and  lavish  expenditures  of  money  that  my  father's 
salary  through  that  session  of  Congress  was  not 
paid.  It  ceased  at  his  death,  and  although  he  had 
sacrificed  himself  and  family  in  a  pecuniary  way, 
for  what  his  party  considered  the  good  of  his  coun- 
try, no  pecuniary  recognition  was  made  of  it  to  his 
family. 

The  same  spirit  my  mother  showed  when  she 
picked  down  one  wick  of  the  lamp  was  carried  out 
through  all  her  affairs.  Had  she  been  a  man  she 
would  have  been  a  great  financier.  She  kept  her 
family  together;  gave  much  personal  supervision 
to  her  farm;  gave  such  attention  to  details  that 
there  were  no  leakages  from  bad  management  that 
were  not  discovered  and  the  plans  changed.  She 
lived  thirty-five  years  after  my  father's  death,   and 


146  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

having  educated  her  family  and  seen  them  married 
and  settled  in  life,  by  wise  management  and  invest- 
ments, she  died  leaving  a  larger  property  than  my 
father  left  to  her. 

She  was  economical  in  the  unessentials  —  often 
depriving  herself  of  what  to  other  people  seemed 
comforts  that  she  might  give  to  those  more  needy 
than  herself.  As  children  we  were  always  taught 
to  think  of  other  people  and  not  ourselves.  She 
made  little  calico  bags  to  carry  on  our  arms  to 
school,  which  she  filled  with  apples,  to  give  to  the 
school  children  who  had  none.  If  we  remon- 
strated, as  we  sometimes  did,  as  the  road  was  long 
and  the  apples  heavy,  and  the  bag  not  handsome, 
she  would  say  very  quietly,  "  Then  go  without 
apples  yourself  until  you  know  how  much  other 
children  like  them  who  have  none";  and  with 
flowers  the  same,  we  were  always  sent  with  baskets 
of  flowers. 

As  I  look  back,  we  seemed  to  be  a  kind  of  a 
flower  and  fruit  mission  all  by  ourselves. 

We  were  all  early  taught  to  work,  as  my  mother 
said  she  knew  the  disadvantage  of  the  lack  of  the 
knowledge  herself.  It  has  helped  us  all  over 
many  hard  places,  and  made  us  people  ready  for 


BUSINESS    WOMEN  1 47 

Mrs.  Sophia  Brewer  was  a  business  woman  of 
Calais.  She  owned  the  first  chaise  ever  seen  upon 
its  streets.  Her  husband  introduced  the  first 
wagon,  but  the  chaise  was  sent  as  a  present  to  Mrs. 
Brewer  after  the  death  of  her  husband. 

Sally  Cobb  Robinson  of  Orrington  blended 
many  noble  traits  of  character.  In  1798  she  came, 
a  bride,  from  Wrentham,  Massachusetts,  to  the 
woody  banks  of  the  Penobscot,  where  her  husband 
owned  broad  acres.  She  is  described  as  a  little 
woman  with  bright  black  eyes,  such  as  may  be 
seen  in  her  descendants  throughout  Maine  to-day. 
In  her  little  kitchen,  ten  by  fifteen,  she  was  mother 
of  the  household,  teacher  of  her  own  and  the  chil- 
dren of  the  scattered  neighborhood,  secretary  to 
her  husband  and  lawyer  to  the  town.  Her  ser- 
vices were  much  sought  after  as  nurse  and 
physician. 

When  Sally  essayed  to  go  to  market  or  to  the 
store,  several  miles  away  along  the  bridle-path,  she 
placed  upon  her  horse  the  saddle,  fastening  to  it 
behind  her  butter  and  eggs.  In  front  on  one  side 
she  hung  by  a  strap  through  the  handle  the  molas- 
ses jug.  Taking  her  three-year-old  boy  in  her 
arms,  Sally  mounted  and  went  on  her  peaceful 
errand,  following  the  banks  of  the  Segeunkedunk 


14^  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

to  Brewer — a  ride  not  so  famed  as  John  Gilpin's 
but  fraught  with  consequences  far  greater. 

Sally  was  no  timid  rein's  woman,  and  when  the 
path  would  admit  of  it  the  molasses  jug  was  made 
to  move  in  rhythm  with  the  legs  of  her  boy,  bal- 
ancing it  on  the  other  side  of  the  saddle. 

Sally  Robinson  was  born  July  14,  1772,  and  was 
married  April  18,  1798.  Seven  children  were  born 
to  her. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  the  first  selectman  of  the 
town  for  many  years.  The  town  books  were  en- 
trusted to  Sally's  supervision.  Mr.  Robinson 
always  managed  that  the  last  meeting  before  town- 
meeting  day  should  be  at  his  house,  where  the 
town  accounts  were  straightened  out,  not  by  the 
three  officials  who  sat  by,  but  by  Sally  Cobb 
Robinson. 

Mary  Cooke  Coffin,  with  her  husband  Richard 
Coffin,  came  from  Nantucket  to  Pleasant  River 
about  1770.  In  the  same  vessel  with  them  came 
also  Barnabas  Coffin  and  his  widowed  mother,  both 
of  them  Quakers. 

Mary  Coffin  was  the  mother  of  eight  children. 
Her  son  Temple  married  Anna  Thorndike.  She 
was  born  in  Portland,  and  is  remembered  as  a  bril- 
liant girl,  having  had  superior  educational  advan- 


BUSINESS    WOMEN  I49 

tages.  While  on  a  visit  to  her  sister  in  Mil- 
bridge,  then  a  part  of  Harrington,  or  No.  5,  she 
first  met  Temple  Cofifin,  who  fell  desperately  in 
love  with  her. 

After  their  marriage  they  made  their  home  in 
Harrington,  on  the  western  side  of  the  little 
stream,  their  farni  including  nearly  all  the  land 
occupied  by  that  part  of  the  village  at  the  present 
time. 

Temple  Cofifin  built  a  carding  mill,  and  for  many 
years  was  the  leading  business  man  of  that  section 
of  country,  greatly  respected  for  his  integrity  and 
uprightness  of  character  wherever  known. 

Anna  Cofifin  was  never  fond  of  domestic  service. 
She  early  trained  her  daughters  to  the  work  of  the 
household  and  gave  herself  to  business  which  she 
heartily  enjoyed.  Through  her  executive  ability 
the  family  were  helped  over  many  hard  places. 
She  raised  large  quantities  of  flax,  which  she  man- 
ufactured into  household  linen,  providing  each  one 
of  her  four  daughters,  Sophia,  Charlotte,  Jane  and 
Betsey,  with  a  wedding  outfit  manufactured  from 
the  raw  material  by  her  own  hands.  She  cared 
personally  for  the  sheep,  wrought  the  wool  into 
yarn,  and  was  known  to  knit  a  pair  of  mittens  in  a 
day.  She  was  a  fine  rider  and  often  took  journeys 
through    the   woods  on  horseback,  her  only  guide 


150  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

being  the  spotted  trees.  She  had  very  little  respect 
for  the  tariff  laws  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  state, 
and  delighted  to  take  the  goods  she  had  manufac- 
tured "over  the  lines,"  a  distance  of  nearly  eight}^ 
miles,  and  smuggle  home  articles  that  were  luxu- 
ries to  the  early  pioneers.  She  did  this  at  the  risk 
of  great  personal  danger.  One  of  her  grand- 
daughters says  she  has  worn  many  a  gown  smug- 
gled over  the  lines  by  her  grandmother. 

Three  miles  from  her  home  in  Mill  River  lived 
her  friend,  Joanna  Roberts  Strout,  who  like  herself 
had  found  her  way  from  Portland  to  this  section  of 
the  country.  The  two  women  had  great  pleasure 
in  their  friendly  visits  as  they  sipped  tea  out 
of  choice  china  —  the  little  round  turnback  table 
being  drawn  up  before  the  big  open  fire — and  re- 
called their  girlhood  days  in  "dear  old  Pooduck." 
One  of  their  granddaughters  remembers  the  mar- 
velous stories  of  Indian  depredations  and  witchcraft 
these  dear  old  ladies  talked  over  long  after  the  hour 
for  retiring.  The  butter  of  a  neighbor  had  refused 
to  come ;  believing  it  to  be  bewitched  she  had 
dropped  a  red-hot  horseshoe  into  the  churn,  which 
broke  the  spell,  and  they  were  not  at  all  astonished 
that  a  certain  woman  was  burned  and  ever  after 
bore  the  mark  of  a  horseshoe  upon  her. 


BUSINESS    WOMEN  I5I 

Joanna  Strout  was  much  loved  and  respected  by 
the  poor  and  unfortunate,  who  were  constant  re- 
cipients of  her  bounty.  The  home  of  Aunt  Joie 
and  Uncle  Ben  was  one  of  the  stopping-places  for 
the  ministers  who  were  obliged  to  journey  through 
that  part  of  the  state.  They  made  long  days  on 
the  road  that  they  might  rest  beneath  this  friendly 
roof.  'Tis  said  that  even  the  horses  knew  that 
Uncle  Ben's  barns  brimmed  with  plenty. 

Mary  Rust  and  Jonathan  Pulsifer  were  among 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  what  was  then  known  as 
Poland  Empire.  They,  with  their  two  children, 
came  in  a  vessel  from  Cape  Ann,  Massachusetts, 
to  Yarmouth.  They  brought  with  them  a  horse, 
two  cows,  and  their  household  goods.  From  Yar- 
mouth they  were  obliged  to  find  their  way  by  the 
spotted  trees,  then  the  only  means  of  indicating  a 
path  through  the  woods.  To  Mrs.  Pulsifer  the 
ride  was  a  very  trying  one  —  it  was  with  great  dif- 
ficulty she  kept  her  seat  upon  the  horse's  back,  and 
held  the  two  children. 

The  motion  of  the  animal  increased  the  disa- 
greeable sensation  she  continued  to  experience 
from  the  tossing  of  the  vessel.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  care  of  her  husband,  who  walked  beside 
her,  she  must  have  fallen. 


152  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

They  at  first  made  their  home  under  the  same 
roof  with  Mr.  Pulsifer's  father,  who  with  three  sons 
had  preceded  them.  There  were  really  three  fami- 
lies in  a  small  house.  The  land  was  soon  after 
divided  among  the  sons,  by  lot. 

Mary  Pulsifer  was  a  strong,  energetic  woman. 
She  entered  upon  her  new  life  in  the  spirit  of 
the  true  pioneer.  With  characteristic  foresight 
she  saved  the  seeds  of  the  apples  brought  with 
them  from  Cape  Ann.  These  she  planted  and 
cared  for,  and  in  a  few  years  supplied  her  family 
with  fruit  of  her  raising. 

Her  husband  soon  learned  to  entrust  the  busi- 
ness of  the  household  and  farm  to  her  supervision. 

She  considereth  a  field  and  buyeth  it. 

A  cousin  to  Rufus  Choate,  she  had  inherited 
with  him  a  legal  mind,  which  the  training  of  a  cul- 
tured home  and  early  school  advantages  had  devel- 
oped and  strengthened. 

She  did  the  work  of  a  farmer's  wife  of  that  day, 
even  providing  her  firewood  that  the  work  of  the 
men  in  clearing  the  farm  might  not  be  interrupted. 
The  spinning-wheel  and  loom  were  in  constant 
use.  She  manufactured  the  household  goods  in 
woolen,  cotton  and  linen.  She  was  fond  of  em- 
broidery, and  many  specimens  of  her  needlework 
are   in   the  possession   of  her  descendants    to-day. 


BUSINESS    WOMEN  I  53 

She  made  on  a  quill  very  delicate  lace  buttons  for 
her  husband's  shirts.  He  was  known  in  the  gates 
for  his  fine  linen. 

She  was  obliged  to  practice  the  strictest  econ- 
omy in  her  household.  If  the  table  was  provided 
with  cheese,  the  butter  was  withheld.  One  gallon 
of  molasses  brought  from  Yarmouth  furnished  the 
family  with  sweets  from  the  fall  till  maple  syrup 
was  made  in  the  spring. 

With  no  money  these  pioneers  cleared  their 
farm,  became  independent,  and  gave  to  their  two 
children  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education. 

There  was  in  the  household  for  many  years  a 
baby,  but  only  a  baby  watched  and  tended  by  her 
loving  care ;  folded  all  too  soon  by  the  Great  Shep- 
herd. Only  two  of  their  twelve  children  lived 
through  childhood. 

Rachels  and  Ramas,  and  a  wailing  Egypt, 

'T  is  the  old  story  of  the  long  ago, 
The  little  life  just  trembling  in  the  balance, 

The  waiting  angel,  and  the  mother's  woe ; 
Six  thousand  years  that  cry  has  been  repeated, 

And  its  eternal  youth  is  ever  new. 
And  shall  be  till  the  heavenly  choir  completed, 

The  last  white  wings  shall  sweep  the  portal  through. 

Mrs.  Pulsifer  was  a  devout  Methodist,  and  the 
latchstring  of  her  home  was  always  out  to  the  itin- 
erant ministers  of  that  day.      Her  kitchen  was  for 


154  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

many  years  the  meeting-house,  and  the  white 
scoured  floor  did  not  fail  to  impress  the  lesson  that 
cleanliness  is  next  to  godliness. 

She  was  a  constant  student  of  the  Bible.  In 
advanced  life  she  loved  to  quote  her  favorite  pas- 
sages and  to  repeat  hymns  learned  in  early  woman- 
hood.    She  lived  to  be  ninety-four  years  old. 

Mrs.  Pulsifer  frequently  entertained  her  friends 
with  stories  of  her  pioneer  life.  She  never  forgot 
Betsey  Gilbert,  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  mer- 
chant at  Cape  Ann.  After  Mrs.  Pulsifer's  removal 
to  Maine,  Miss  Gilbert  often  urged  her  return  to 
Cape  Ann  for  a  visit,  but  she  could  never  be  in- 
duced to  do  so,  no  matter  how  homesick  she  was, 
until  she  could  go  in  a  style  befitting  the  luxurious 
home  of  her  friend. 

Many  years  elapsed  before  her  husband  drove 
her  up  to  the  door  of  Betsey  Gilbert's  home  — 
having  taken  the  journey  all  the  way  from  Poland 
to  Cape  Ann  in  their  own  "  hansum  kerridge,"  the 
one-horse  chaise.  It  was  a  proud  moment  to  Mary 
Pulsifer. 

Mrs.  Lydia  Purrington  Frye,  as  a  girl,  had  the 
advantages  of  the  best  schools  of  Portland,  which, 
added  to  her  natural  endowments  and  industrious 
habits,   made   her  a  woman   of  rare   culture.     She 


BUSINESS    WOMEN  155 

married  Thomas  Frye,  a  merchant  of  Vassalboro, 
and  was  the  mother  of  two  children 

The  house  of  colonial  architecture  in  which  they 
lived  is  still  standing  —  recalling  the  famed  hospi- 
tality of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frye.  Both  were  elders  in 
the  Society  of  Friends.  They  entertained  liber- 
ally. During  the  Quarterly  Meeting  it  was  not 
unusual  for  Lydia  to  reset  her  table  several  times. 
The  door  of  their  home  was  never  closed  to  the 
poor  and  unfortunate  who  sought  aid  or  shelter. 

They  were  supporters  of  the  antislavery  move- 
ment, and  lent  a  hand  in  the  escape  of  fugitives 
through  the  state  to  Canada,  when  to  do  so  was 
considered  by  some  almost  treason  against  the 
United  States. 

In  person  Mrs.  Frye  had  the  bearing  of  a  trained 
athlete.  She  comprehended  the  whole  technique 
of  correct  movements  of  the  body. 

She  used  the  plain  language  correctly.  The 
nominative  thou  was  never  sacrificed  to  the  objec- 
tive thee.  She  was  one  of  the  original  trustees  of 
the  Oak  Grove  Seminary,  now  Bailey  Institute, 
Vassalboro,  proving  herself  a  wise  counselor.  Her 
executive  ability  was  acknowledged  by  her  associ- 
ates. Even  after  the  death  of  her  husband  she 
continued  her  interest  in  the  school.  Her  home 
was  open  to  the  students,  who  found  in  her  a  faith- 


156  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

fill  friend.  She  encouraged  boys  in  saving  their 
pennies  by  promising  to  add  five  to  every  dollar 
they  would  put  in  the  bank. 

Mrs.  Frye  had  a  remarkable  intuition  and  insight 
to  character.  She  replied  to  one  of  her  young 
friends  who  waxed  impatient  over  the  stupidity  of 
a  public  functionary,  "  My  dear,  thou  canst  never 
make  an  oak  ax-handle  out  of  a  piece  of  pine." 

On  one  of  her  yearly  visits  to  the  Annual 
Meeting  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  stopping  over 
night  on  the  way,  her  trunk  was  stolen  from  the 
station.  It  was  carried  into  a  field  and  rifled  of 
its  contents.  The  rich  silk  shawls,  with  Quaker 
gowns  and  bonnets  to  match,  all  of  Philadelphia 
make,  was  too  great  a  loss  for  Mrs.  Frye  to  sustain 
without  an  effort  to  secure  justice.  She  brought 
suit  against  the  railroad.  They  withstood  her 
claim.  After  two  years  her  opponents  were 
obliged  to  acknowledge  that  Mrs.  Frye  knew  too 
much  law  for  them.     She  won  her  case. 


SOCIAL   CUSTOMS 


XIII 
SOCIAL    CUSTOMS 

How  long  we  live,  not  years  but  actions  tell. 


Watkins. 


THE  social  life  of  Portland  from  1765  to  1795 
centered  in  the  tavern  kept  by  Alice  Ross 
Greele.  A  pen  and  ink  sketch  of  this  plain,  una- 
dorned building  can  be  seen  in  the  library  of  the 
Maine  Historical  Society.  Alice  Ross  as  a  girl 
evinced  great  strength  of  character.  She  shrank 
from  no  hardship.  It  is  recorded  that  Alice  Ross 
was  paid  four  dollars  per  week  for  her  services  as 
nurse  when  Portland  was  suffering  from  the  scourge 
of  small  pox. 
Says  Willis : 

It  was  common  for  clubs  and  social  parties  to  meet  at  the 
tavern  in  those  days,  and  Mrs.  Greele's,  on  Congress  street, 
was  a  place  of  most  fashionable  resort  both  for  old  and  j'oung 
wags  before  and  after  the  Revolution.     It  was  the  East-cheap 

159 


l60  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

of  Portland  and  was  as  famous  for  its  baked  beans  as  Boar's 
Head  for  sack.  We  would  by  no  means  compare  honest  Dame 
Greele  with  the  more  celebrated,  though  less  deserving,  hostess 
of  Falstaff  and  Poins,  Dame  Quickly. 

When  Falmouth  was  bombarded  by  Mowatt, 
October  i8,  1775,  rendering  nearly  three-fourths  of 
the  people  homeless,  when  many  men  and  women 
fled  in  despair  from  the  town  (Reverend  Thomas 
Smith  records,  "  I  went  to  Windham  just  before 
the  firing  began  as  did  Mrs.  Smith  yesterday,") 
Alice  Ross  Greele  stood  at  her  post. 

Her  house,  located  upon  the  corner  of  Hamp- 
shire and  Congress  Streets,  then  Greek's  Lane  and 
Back  Street,  was  surrounded  by  burning  buildings. 
Shell,  cannon-ball  and  grape-shot  filled  the  air. 
The  torch  of  the  incendiary  aided  in  completing 
the  work  of  destruction.  Amid  it  all  Alice  Greele 
defended  her  home.  It  was  repeatedly  set  on  fire ; 
but  braving  all  danger  with  a  heroism  worthy  a 
trained  veteran,  she  succeeded  in  extinguishing  the 
flames  and  saved  the  little  hostelry,  which  proved  a 
welcome  retreat  to  many  of  the  homeless  citizens. 

The  story  is  told  that  as  the  hot  balls  were  fall- 
ing around  the  house  Mrs.  Greele  gathered  them 
up  in  a  tin  pan  and  threw  them  into  the  street, 
remarking  that  Mowatt  couldn't  fire  much  longer, 
that  he  must  be  getting  short  of  ammunition  as  he 


SOCIAL    CUSTOMS  l6l 

could  not  wait  for  the  balls  to  cool  but  fired  them 
hot. 

As  this  story  reflects  somewhat  upon  the  sound 
judgment  of  this  brave  woman,  the  inference  is, 
that  the  messenger  who  reported  it  must  have  been 
so  thoroughly  scared  by  the  bullets  whizzing 
through  the  air,  that  he  was  incapable  of  inter- 
preting her  language  correctly. 

This  tavern  served  for  court  house  from  this 
time,  1775  to  1784.  During  these  dark  days 
stormy  conferences  were  held  beneath  its  roof,  and 
many  men  of  Revolutionary  fame  were  the  guests 
of  Alice  Greele. 

There  was  little  improvement  in  the  social  life 
of  the  extreme  western  part  of  the  state  for  many 
years.  Women  were  forbidden  to  live  there;  dis- 
reputable men  had  brought  to  the  islands  weak 
women,  owning  them  in  shares  as  they  did  their 
boats. 

It  was  in  the  interest  of  the  moral  development 
of  the  community  that  the  following  petition  is 
recorded :  That  contrary  to  an  act  of  court  which 
says: 

No  woman  shall  live  in  the  Isles  of  Shoals,  John  Reynolds 
has  brought  hither  his  wife  with  an  intention  to  live  here  and 
abide. 

II 


l62  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Your  petitioners  therefore  pray  that  the  act  of  court  may  be 
put  in  execution  for  the  removal  of  all  women  from  inhabiting 
there. 

It  were  needless  to  add  that  all  such  efforts  at 
colonization  were  failures ;  men  alone  could  not 
make  homes. 

In  the  records  of  York  are  preserved  many  hints 
of  the  social  customs  of  that  early  day,  December 
2,  1665,  Joan  Ford  was  presented  to  the  court. 
She  had  called  a  constable  a  cowhead  rogue,  for 
which  she  received  nine  stripes  at  the  whipping- 
post. Again  for  reviling  her  neighbors  and  abus- 
ing the  constable  she  received  ten  lashes. 

In  Wells,  in  1665,  the  court  ordered  every  town 
to  take  care  that  there  be  in  it  a  pair  of  stocks,  a 
cage  and  couching  (ducking)  stool  to  be  erected 
between  this  and  next  court.  This  stool  was  the 
old  instrument  for  the  punishment  of  common 
scolds.  It  consisted  of  a  long  beam,  moving  like  a 
well-sweep  upon  a  fulcrum,  one  end  of  which  could 
be  extended  over  the  water  and  let  down  into  it  at 
the  will  of  the  operator.  On  this  a  seat  was  fixed, 
upon  which  the  culprit  was  placed  and  then  im- 
mersed in  the  water.  To  what  extent  this  was 
used,  if  ever,  in  Maine,  is  not  known. 

March  8,  1725,  that  the  wife  of  Sewall  Banks  be  requested 
to  sit  as  becomes  a  wife,  in  the  woman's  fore  seat. 


SOCIAL    CUSTOMS  163 

Voted,  That  the  wife  of  Philip  Adams,  being  somewhat  thick 
of  hearing,  have  liberty  to  move  forward  in  the  meeting-house. 

We  read  in  the  journal  of  Reverend  Thomas 
Smith  of  Portland : 

February  4,  1763,  Wednesday  morning  :  —  Brigadier  Preble, 
Colonel  Waldo,  Captain  Ross,  Doctor  Coffin,  Nathaniel  Moody, 
Mr.  Webb  and  their  wives  and  Tate  sat  out  on  a  frolic  at  Ring's 
and  are  not  yet  got  back. 

February  n:  —  Our  frolicers  returned  from  Black  Point, 
having  been  gone  ten  days. 

Snowshoe  parties  were  more  select  than  now. 
In  the  same  diary  it  is  recorded : 

I  married  Samuel  Green  and  Jane  Gustin.  They  came  on 
snowshoes  across  the  Cove  from  Captain  Ilsley's  to  my  house. 

Many  women  witnessed  the  execution  of  Drew 
on  Munjoy  Hill.  Mrs.  Abigail  Chase  rode  on  a 
pillion  behind  her  husband  from  Limington  to 
Portland,  a  distance  of  twenty-eight  miles,  to  see 
the  man  hang.     Sad  dearth  of  recreation  when 

.    .    .  curious  thousands  thronged  to  see 
A  brother  at  the  gallow's  tree. 

The  early  mothers  were  skilled  in  needlework. 
Mrs.  Nancy  Frost,  of  Wayne,  though  in  her 
ninety-fourth  year,  is  still  an  adept  with  her  needle. 
In  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Nancy  Fuller, 
of  Wilton,^ may  be  seen  many  articles  of  embroidery 


164  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

and  netting  made  recently  by  her.  She  now  re- 
sides with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  L.  W.  Fillebrown,  in 
Piqua,  Ohio,  where  she  does  not  allow  the  time  to 
hang  heavily  on  her  hands,  but  often  spends  the 
entire  day  in  reading  and  embroidering.  Her 
work  is  of  rare  beauty  and  will  compare  favorably 
with  that  of  the  most  famous  needle  guilds  of  the 
present  day.  Many  of  her  friends  in  Maine  have 
been  made  happy  in  receiving  specimens  of  her 
delicate  handiwork. 

Mrs.  Martha  Coffin  Rice,  now  living  in  Dorches- 
ter, Massachusetts,  in  her  ninety-second  year,  re- 
calls many  interesting  events  in  connection  with 
her  early  home  at  Saco.  She  says  the  first  cook- 
stove  in  Saco  was  owned  by  Ezra  Haskell  and 
wife.  It  was  such  a  curiosity  that  people  flocked 
to  see  it,  and  it  became  a  common  form  of  saluta- 
tion :  "  Have  you  seen  Mr.  Haskell's  cook-stove  ?  " 

She  was  at  the  home  of  her  uncle,  Edward 
Coffin,  in  Biddeford,  when  the  council  of  ministers 
dined  there  who  assisted  at  the  ordination  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Tracy,  the  Unitarian  minister,  and  helped 
her  cousins  wait  upon  the  table.  They  took  great 
pains  to  tastefully  arrange  upon  it  the  bottles  of 
rum,  brandy  and  gin. 

She  is  one  of  the  few  living  persons  who  shook 


SOCIAL    CUSTOMS  l6$ 

the  hand  of  the  nation's  guest,  General  LaFayette 
in  1825. 

The  spinning-wheel  and  loom  were  in  every 
house.  The  girls  were  early  trained  to  their  use. 
The  family  clothing  and  household  linen  were  all 
manufactured  at  home.  The  spinning-bee  was  one 
of  the  merry-makings  of  the  olden  time. 

We  are  told  that  in  order  to  make  soap  one 
woman  carried  her  material  three  miles,  on  foot,  to 
the  home  of  a  neighbor  who  had  the  necessary 
utensils.  Desire  for  companionship  may  have  cre- 
ated the  necessity. 

In  Winthrop  lived  the  Fairbankses  and  the 
Woods,  miles  apart,  but  the  two  families  kept  up 
pleasant  personal  relations  then  as  now.  It  was 
no  hardship  for  Mrs.  Fairbanks  to  saddle  her  horse 
and  take  a  morning  gallop  to  the  home  of  Phebe 
Morton  Wood. 

Not  having  seen  her  friend  for  weeks,  she  in- 
duced her  husband  to  pillion  his  horse  and  go  to 
bring  Mrs.  Wood  for  a  day's  visit  at  their  home. 
When  Colonel  Nathaniel  Fairbanks  arrived,  Mrs. 
Wood  was  "just  kneading  a  batch  of  rye  and 
Indian  bread,"  for  this  good  woman  looked  well  to 
the  ways  of  her  household,  and  they  ate  not  the 
bread  of  idleness. 


1 66  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Having  no  one  to  whom  she  could  entrust  the 
baking  of  her  bread,  Mrs.  Wood  felt  obliged  to  de- 
cline the  invitation,  but  Mr.  Fairbanks  assured  her 
that  that  should  be  no  obstacle  to  the  visit,  as 
he  could  take  the  kneading-trough  along  with 
them ;  indeed,  had  it  been  necessary,  he  would  not 
have  hesitated  to  take  the  oven  also. 

Mrs.  Wood  mounted  the  pillion,  and  Mr.  Fair- 
banks placed  the  bread-trough  in  front  of  him  on 
the  saddle,  and  they  rode  gaily  along  the  bridle- 
path. The  big  brick  oven  was  heated,  and  the 
bread  was  baked  while  the  two  women  spent  a 
happy  day  together.  At  night  Mrs.  Wood  re- 
turned to  her  home  in  a  similar  manner,  the 
trough  laden  with  steaming  loaves. 

The  launching  of  a  ship  was  usually  made  the 
occasion  for  a  gala-day.  Men  and  women  rode 
miles  on  horseback  to  witness  it. 

Polly  Patrick  lived  in  Gorham.  She  often  as- 
sisted in  the  work  of  the  farm,  her  father  declaring 
that  Polly  was  as  much  help  as  the  boys.  It  was  a 
monotonous  life,  with  few  amusements,  but  Polly 
wrought  singing,  and  often  planned  feats  of  daring 
for  herself  and  brothers.  They  had  anticipated 
attending  the  launching  at  Stroudwater  for  days. 
When   the   time  arrived  they  were  told  that  they 


SOCIAL    CUSTOMS  167 

could  not  have  the  horses.  But  Polly  was  not  to 
be  daunted.  She  secretly  arranged  that  her  older 
brother  should  bring  from  the  pasture  a  horse  and 
colt,  and  saddle  them  behind  the  barn.  She 
agreed  to  ride  the  colt  if  her  brother  would  only 
saddle  it.  When  they  had  stolen  off  their  time 
was  limited,  and  Polly  proposed  that  they  ride 
"cross  lots,"  leaping  walls  and  ditches.  This  they 
did,  and  bounding  away  at  such  a  rate  they  reach 
Stroudwater  just  as  the  ship 

Decked  with  flags  and  streamers  gay, 
In  honor  of  her  marriage  day 

.     .     leaps  into  the  ocean's  arms. 

Jane  Woodbridge  was  the  daughter  of  Reverend 
John  Woodbridge,  and  Mercy  Dudley,  who  was 
descended  from  Governor  Dudley  of  Massachu- 
setts. She  was  born  at  Newcastle  in  1787,  and 
married  Jotham  Donnell,  a  farmer  and  ship- 
builder. As  a  young  wife  she  cheerfully  set  her- 
self to  the  various  tasks  awaiting  her,  attending  to 
the  farm  and  at  the  same  time  receiving  to  her 
well-laden  table  many  of  the  carpenters  engaged  in 
the  shipyard.     Near  her  lived  her  friend  Nancy. 

It  was  a  proud  moment  when  the  two  young 
ship-builders  launched  their    staunch  vessel,   bear- 


l68  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

ing  the  names  of  their  wives  on  her  colors:  "The 
Nancy  Jane." 

Mrs.  Donnell  was  a  fearless  rider.  One  day  as 
she  was  going  to  a  quilting  alone  on  horseback, 
the  horse,  being  balky,  stopped  so  suddenly  that 
she  was  thrown  forward,  and  landed  on  the  top  of 
her  head.  She  soon  remounted  and  continued  her 
journey.  As  she  incidentally  told  the  company  of 
her  adventure  they  were  inclined  to  doubt  that 
such  a  thing  could  happen  without  more  serious 
consequences.  Mrs.  Donnell  referred  them  to  her 
bonnet  in  evidence.  This  was  of  white  drawn 
muslin.  They  were  convinced  when  they  found 
the  top  of  it  covered  with  grass  stains. 

Her  friends  recall  her  fortitude  in  submitting  to 
a  surgical  operation  before  the  days  of  anaesthet- 
ics. One  of  the  surgeons  fainted  during  the 
removal  of  a  tumor  from  her  throat,  but  she  sub- 
mitted to  the  trying  ordeal  without  flinching,  and 
when  it  was  over,  with  her  throat  bandaged,  pre- 
pared the  dinner  for  the  surgeons. 

After  she  was  eighty  years  of  age  she  stamped 
two  tons  of  butter,  four  thousand  pounds.  The 
mothers  did  not  need  creameries.  They  were  in- 
stitutions in  themselves. 

This  woman  attained  to  the  age  of  ninety-two 
years. 


EARLY   RELIGIOUS   TEACHINGS 


XIV 
EARLY  RELIGIOUS  TEACHINGS 


The  old,  unhappy,  far-off  things. 


Truths  that  wake  to  perish  never. 


Wordsworth. 


Wordsworth. 


DOUGLAS  JERROLD  pictures  Mr.  Job 
Caudle  as  one  of  the  few  men  whom 
"  Nature  in  casual  bounty  to  women  sends  into  the 
world  as  patient  listeners."  What  might  not  this 
famous  wit  with  his  "flashing  insight"  have  said  of 
the  listening  mothers?  Mrs.  Caudle's  harangues 
must  have  been  music  to  the  ninthlies  and  tenth- 
lies,  so  familiar  to  their  ears. 

In  the  year  1770  there  were  only  thirty-five  set- 
tled ministers  in  Maine.  These  were  all  of  the 
**  standing  order  "  except  two  Episcopalians  and 
two  Presbyterians.  In  those  Revolutionary  days, 
when  there  seemed  no  secure  earthly  foundation, 
the  hearts  of  the  mothers  in  the  wilderness  yearned 

171 


172  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

for  the  higher  spiritual  consolation.  It  is  related 
of  many  women  that  they  walked  barefoot  many 
miles  through  pathless  woods,  putting  on  their 
shoes  before  entering  the  place  of  worship. 

Such  women  were  Mrs.  Polly  Small  and  Mrs. 
Jonathan  Boothby  of  Limington,  who  thought  it 
no  hardship  to  cross  the  Saco  River  in  a  dugout, 
sometimes  even  fording  it,  wending  their  way  to 
Standish  Corner,  a  distance  of  eight  miles. 

These  frontier  women  were  good  listeners. 
They  had  to  be. 

Let  your  women  keep  silence  in  the  churches,  it  is  not  per- 
mitted them  to  speak.  She  is  not  fitted  for  speaking  in  public. 
She  may  have  mind  enough,  but  she  wants  the  physical  quali- 
ties, the  voice  and  nerve  which  are  requisite.  The  voice  of 
woman,  like  the  susceptibilities  of  her  heart,  is  delightfully 
formed  for  her  sphere,  for  the  tones  of  love  in  her  family,  for 
the  enlivening  converse  of  the  parlor,  for  the  tender  offices  of 
sympathy,  but  is  no  more  formed  for  the  public  assembly  than 
the  lute  for  the  camp. 

So  said  the  church  fathers.  The  Spartans  did 
march  to  battle  to  the  sound  of  the  lute.  They 
were  so  thrilled  with  military  ardor  the  sonorous 
drum  would  have  disbanded  them.  These  early 
religious  teachers  builded  better  than  they  knew. 
The  more  highly  cultured  the  public  audience  the 
more  effective  the  lute. 


EARLY    RELIGIOUS    TEACHINGS  1 73 

It  is  related  that  when  Colonel  Foxcroft  visited 
the  settlement  in  the  town  which  now  bears  his 
name,  he  found  the  pioneer,  as  yet,  had  not  ob- 
served the  Sabbath.  At  his  suggestion  a  meeting 
was  appointed  for  the  following  Sunday. 

Singers  were  there ;  an  old  schoolmaster  had 
brought  a  book  of  sermons,  but  the  most  anxious 
inquiry  was,  "  Who  will  pray  ? "  Not  a  man  in 
Foxcroft  or  Dover  had  piety  and  confidence 
enough  to  perform  so  simple  and  natural  a  duty. 
Still  they  were  not  willing  to  omit  that  essential 
part  of  divine  worship. 

Mrs.  William  Mitchell,  a  mother  in  Israel,  had 
kept  up  prayer  in  her  family  from  the  beginning  of 
her  pioneer  life.  She  knew  how  to  pray.  She 
loved  to  pray.  Notwithstanding  the  anathemas 
against  woman's  voice  being  heard  in  the  public 
assembly,  rightly  interpreting  the  teaching  of  Paul, 
and  hearing  again  the  sweet  voice  of  the  Master, 
"  Ask  and  it  shall  be  given  you,"  she  consented  to 
pray,  and  the  Piscataquis  settlement  was  humbly 
but  fervently  dedicated  to  God  by  Mother  Mitchell's 
public  prayer. 

In  her  "  Reminiscences  of  the  Churches  and 
Pastors  of  Kennebec  County,"  Sarah  B.  Adams 
says: 


174  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

The  prayer-meetings  were  usually  held  at  private  houses  in 
winter  and  schoolhouses  in  summer.  Then,  as  now,  there 
were  some  who  were  always  present  unless  detained  by  some- 
thing beyond  their  control,  and  always  strictly  obedient  to 
the  Pauline  injunction,  "  Let  your  women  keep  silence  in  the 
churches." 

A  declaration  of  war  could  not  have  produced  more  commo- 
tion than  did  the  rising  of  a  sister  "  to  speak  in  meeting." 
Indeed  it  was  in  a  sense  a  declaration  of  war  against  an  old 
prejudice.  So  strong  was  the  feeling  that  in  some  instances,  I 
have  been  told,  ladies  have  been  rebuked  for  venturing  upon 
anything  so  unseemly. 

Phebe  Lord  Upham,  born  in  Kennebunk,  was 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Cogswell  Upham,  professor 
of  mental  and  moral  philosophy  in  Bowdoin  Col- 
lege from  1825  to  1867.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Upham 
were  wedded  in  mind  as  well  as  heart.  They 
found  congenial  companionship  in  their  literary 
research  —  much  of  his  metaphysics  and  religious 
experiences  published  to  the  world  was  worked  out 
at  the  fireside.  Together  they  pored  over  the 
pages  of  Tauler,  Gerson  and  other  mystics  of  the 
middle  ages ;  studied  Madame  Guyon  and  the  Gos- 
pel of  St.  John. 

They  exemplified  in  their  lives  the  truth  they 
taught  to  others.  Like  Tauler,  they  associated 
with  the  "  friends  of  God ; "  like  Gerson,  they 
"loved  little  children;"  and  like  Madame  Guyon, 


EARLY    RELIGIOUS    TEACHINGS  1/5 

Mrs.  Upham,  if  need  be,  would  have  gone  to  prison 
for  her  religious  opinions.  Their  domestic  affec- 
tion expressed  itself  in  taking  to  their  otherwise 
childless  home  six  orphan  children  for  whom  they 
lovingly  cared  and  to  whom  they  \^re  father  and 
mother. 

Mrs.  Upham  should  be  remembered  to-day  as  a 
pioneer  in  the  religious  work  of  women.  She  was 
one  of  the  first  in  the  Congregational  church  who 
dared  to  rise  in  the  public  assembly  and  speak  of 
the  faith  which  was  burning  within  her.  The 
religious  beauty  underlying  the  act  did  not  appeal 
to  her  pastor.  He  saw  only  a  woman  out  of  her 
sphere.  Mrs.  Upham  became  a  revelation  to  him. 
When  she  first  rose  to  speak  the  good  man,  in  hor- 
ror, waved  his  hand,  and  bade  her  repeatedly,  "  Sit 
down,  madam !  Sit  down ! "  But  Mrs.  Upham 
did  not  sit  down  —  she  could  not.  In  the  counsel 
with  other  brethren  over  the  matter  her  pastor,  in 
despair,  said,  "  I  don't  know  what  we  are  going  to 
do  with  Mrs.  Upham." 

The  Portland  minister,  on  an  exchange  at  Bruns- 
wick, was  equally  shocked  to  see  a  woman  stand 
on  her  feet  in  the  social  meeting.  As  she  rose, 
he  leaned  forward  and  said:  "Short  and  sweet, 
madam  !  " 

But  Mrs.  Upham's  speaking  in  meeting  was  but 


176  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

the  surface  ripple  of  her  deep  rehgious  nature, 
which  could  not  be  repressed.  Both  she  and  her 
husband  knew  of  the  doctrine  because  they  were 
constantly  obeying  the  command  :  "  Do  the  will 
of  my  Father." 

Professor  Upham  identified  himself  with  every 
movement  for  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of 
the  Master.  His  consistent  life  was  an  object- 
lesson  to  the  young  men  who  sought  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  college.  His  name  stands  on  the  first 
temperance  pledge  circulated  in  Brunswick. 

Mrs.  Upham  was  constantly  seeking  opportuni- 
ties for  doing  good.  She  established  the  first 
Sunday-school  at  the  poorhouse.  Miss  Harriet 
Stanwood,  who  assisted  her  in  teaching  the 
younger  classes,  recalls  that  she  gathered  into  the 
school,  the  children  of  the  neighborhood,  thirty  in 
all ;  that  she  furnished  them  with  books  and 
assisted  in  clothing  them. 

In  1854  a  Christmas  tree  was  arranged  for  these 
poor  people  who  never  before  had  seen  one.  Mrs. 
Upham  furnished  caps  for  all  the  old  ladies,  which 
were  hung  for  them  on  the  tree.  Some  of  those 
interested  thought  tracts  would  do  for  the  children, 
but  Miss  Stanwood,  realizing  that  poor  children 
love  bright,  pretty  things  just  the  same  as  other 
children,  proposed  picture-books  for  them.     When 


EARLY    RELIGIOUS    TEACHINGS  I77 

she  laid  the  matter  before  Mrs.  Upham  she  said, 
"  If  you  want  to  spend  five  dollars  for  Cock 
Robins,  here  is  the  money." 

Mrs.  Upham 's  charitable  and  philanthropic  work 
in  Brunswick  ceased  only  with  her  removal  from 
the  town  in  1867.  Her  devoted  collaborator  has 
continued  her  loving  service  at  the  poorhouse 
through  thirty-seven  years  without  an  omission. 

She  says:  "  There  are  only  a  few  there  now,  but 
they  still  anticipate  my  coming  at  Christmas  time." 
The  room  remains  the  same  as  it  was  when  she 
accompanied  Mrs.  Upham  there  years  ago,  but  she 
sees  there  what  others  cannot,  the  saint-like  face  of 
Mrs.  Upham,  as  she  told  her  listeners  the  old,  old 
story.     That  face  was  a  benediction. 

Mrs.  Upham  sent  her  six  children  to  a  school 
taught  by  a  widow  with  the  care  of  several  chil- 
dren. That  she  might  teach  her  boys  to  be  useful 
she  had  them  take  their  leather  aprons  along, 
instructing  them  to  fill  the  vvoodboxes  or  do  any 
work  the  teacher  would  permit  them  to  do.  The 
college  students  were  often  invited  to  Mrs. 
Upham's  parlor  for  religious  conference.  She  was 
greatly  respected  and  beloved  by  them. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Upham  in  later  life  made  their 
home  in  New  York,  where  they  studied  and  exem- 
plified the  higher  Christian  life. 


178  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

One  who  knew  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Upham  writes  : 

Professor  T.  C.  Upham,  as  you  are  aware,  was  widely  known 
as  an  instructor  in  mental  philosophy  and  his  published  works 
are  invaluable. 

I  think  there  was  entire  harmony  between  the  husband  and 
wife  in  all  their  religious  belief  and  experience. 

They  had  no  children,  but  showed  their  great  benevolence 
by  the  adoption  of  six  children,  four  boys  and  two  girls, 
orphans ;  all  of  whom  lived  to  mature  age  except  one  who  was 
drowned  when  young.  They  all  exhibited  in  their  lives  the 
result  of  their  careful  training. 

Mrs.  Upham's  countenance  had  attractive  sweetness  and  her 
manner  was  cheerful  and  cordial.  She  was  a  blessing  to  many, 
and  her  name  will  be  long  remembered.  She  was  several 
years  a  widow.  Her  end  was  peace.  She  died  in  New  York 
City  in  the  early  eighties.  I  think  she  was  buried  in  Bruns- 
wick.    A  handsome  monument  bears  the  name  "Upham." 

Brunswick,  October  11,  1895. 

Their  religious  philosophy  is  expressed  in  the 
following  lines  from  Professor  Upham's  pen : 

Going  to  Heaven  Alone. 

High  in  the  hills  the  wild  bird  hath  its  nest, 

And  utters  loud  its  melodies  of  song ; 
But  vain  its  music,  if  no  other  breast 

Is  there  to  mate  it  and  its  notes  prolong. 

And  so  in  Heaven  think  not  to  dwell  alone, 

In  cold  and  hopeless  solitude  apart ; 
For  Heaven  is  love  ;  and  love  would  leave  its  throne 

If  at  its  side  there  were  no  other  heart. 


EARLY    RELIGIOUS    TEACHINGS  1 79 

Then  heavenward  soar,  but  carry  others  there, 
And  learn,  that  heaven  is  giving  and  receiving; 

It  hath  no  life,  which  others  do  not  share  ; 
Its  life  doth  live  by  its  great  art  of  giving. 

T.  C.  Upham. 


MINISTERS'  WIVES 


XV 
MINISTERS'  WIVES 

W/ioso  findeth  a  wife  findeth  a  good  thing. 


Solomon. 


MINISTERS'  wives  of  these  early  days  were 
not  always  permitted  to  develop  their  lute- 
like voice  in  the  parlor.  On  them  largely  de- 
volved the  care  of  the  parish  farm,  the  care  of 
the  family  and  the  care  of  the  minister  himself. 
Their  homes  were  well-known  places  of  resort  and 
entertainment  for  clergymen  and  strangers  who 
visited  the  place. 

One  of  the  first  ministers'  wives  in  Maine  was 
Sarah  Winter  Jordan.  She  came  from  England 
as  early  as  1637,  and  resided  with  her  parents,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  John  Winter,  on  Richmond's  Island, 
Portland  Harbor.  The  Rev.  Richard  Gibson,  the 
first  settled  Episcopal  minister   of   the  vicinity  of 

183 


184  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Portland,  was  often  a  guest  at  their  home.  It  is 
hinted  that  Mr.  Winter  regarded  him  favorably  as 
a  future  son-in-law.     Then  as  now  — 

The  best  laid  schemes  o'  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  a-gley. 

The  fair  Sarah  became  the  wife  of  his  successor, 
the  Rev.  Robert  Jordan.  They  made  their  home 
at  Spurwink,  though  their  parish  extended  from 
Falmouth  to  Portsmouth.  The  large  estates  re- 
ceived from  her  father  and  the  opposition  to  the 
Church  of  England  involved  her  husband  in  many 
serious  controversies.  At  one  time  he  was  im- 
prisoned in  Boston  for  exercising  the  rites  of  his 
church. 

In  the  general  massacre  of  1675  it  is  recorded 
that  the  Rev.  Robert  Jordan  escaped  from  his 
burning  dwelling  and  fled  to  Portsmouth.  Mrs. 
Jordan  and  the  younger  children  probably  accom- 
panied him  in  his  flight.  We  find  the  family 
living  in  Portsmouth  Harbor  four  years  later. 

Mr.  Jordan  died  in  1679,  Mrs.  Jordan  surviving 
him  many  years. 

Through  nine  generations  one  hundred  and 
seventy-three  of  her  descendants  have  borne  the 
name  Sally,  or  Sarah,  in  loving  remembrance  of 
Sarah  Winter  Jordan. 


ministers'  wives  185 

Rev.  Thomas  Smith  came  to  Portland  in  1725. 
Three  years  afterward  he  brought  his  bride,  Sarah 
Tyng  Smith,  on  horseback  from  Massachusetts. 
His  people  went  out  to  Scarboro  and  escorted 
them  to  their  new  home,  "  regaling  them  with  a 
very  noble  supper."  She  died  in  1742,  leaving  a 
family  of  eight  children.  Her  husband  wrote  of 
her: 

Never  did  I  see  in  any  person  a  more  remarkable  tender 
conscience,  afraid  of  the  least  appearance  of  evil. 

The  people  of  this  place  all  esteemed  and  delighted  in  her 
beyond  anything  of  like  kind  that  has  been  known,  and  if 
their  united  prayers  could  have  kept  her  alive  she  had  not 
died. 

You  cannot  conceive  the  grief  and  mourning  her  death  has 
universally  caused. 

A  home  without  a  mother  became  unedurable  to 
the  good  minister.  After  nearly  two  years,  with 
great  care,  he  selected  another  companion  and 
counselor,  Mrs.  Olive  Jordan  of  Saco.  She  was 
several  years  his  senior  and  the  mother  of  seven 
children,  the  youngest  of  whom  was  eleven  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Smith.  The  oldest 
of  her  adopted  flock  being  about  eleven  and  the 
youngest  two,  there  was  no  break  in  the  continuity 
of  her  motherhood. 

For  twenty  years   Mrs.  Smith  proved  herself  a 


1 86  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

worthy  and  devoted  mother  to  her  family  of  fifteen 
children.     She  died  January  3,  1763. 

Mr.  Smith's  third  wife  was  Elizabeth  Wendall, 
who  survived  him.  She  was  a  lady  of  fine  man- 
ners, well  educated  and  dignified.  At  a  wedding 
in  which  her  husband  officiated  she  assisted  in  the 
entertainment  by  dancing  a  minuet  to  the  admira- 
tion of  the  company. 

In  his  diary,  Rev.  Thomas  Smith  writes  : 

May  27,  1745. —  I  set  out  with  my  wife  in  our  chaise  for  Bos- 
ton. 

October  5,  1746. —  I  had  concluded  to  send  away  my 
family  to  Harwick,  but  my  wife  negatived  it. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Deane  was  ordained  associate 
pastor  with  the  Rev.  Thomas  Smith  over  the  First 
Parish,  Portland. 

He  was  unmarried  and  to  "  complete  his  happi- 
ness "  sought  the  kindred  soul  among  the  fair 
maidens  of  his  flock. 

From  his  diary  we  find  he  was  often  a  guest  of 
Moses  Pearson,  whose  daughter  Eunice  subse- 
quently became  his  wife.  He  takes  great  pains  to 
record  that  the  wharf  of  Captain  Pearson  was  in- 
jured by  a  violent  storm  and  he  no  doubt  called  to 
talk  it  over  with  the  family.  Other  records  follow 
of  "  dining  with  the  relatives  of  Eunice  Pearson," 


ministers'  wives  187 

"waited  upon  Eunice  Pearson,"  and  April  3,  1766 
we  find  written,  "My  wedding  —  none  present 
but  relatives." 

The  house  built  by  Mr.  Deane  and  to  which  he 
took  his  bride,  after  living  a  short  time  at  her 
father's  house,  is  still  standing  on  Congress  Street 
near  the  church,  though  removed  from  the  original 
foundation. 

On  the  destruction  of  the  town  by  Mowatt  the 
family  went  to  Gorham,  where  they  resided  seven 
years.  Here  they  enjoyed  the  society  of  many 
distinguished  visitors  from  abroad  and  exchanged 
many  social  visits  with  their  parish.  Mr.  Deane 
sings  of  Pitchwood  Hill  as  he  terms  the  eminence 
near  his  home : 

Hither  I'll  turn  my  weary  feet 
Indulging  contemplation  sweet  — 
Seeking  quiet,  sought  in  vain 
In  courts  and  crowds  of  busy  men. 

Among  the  many  interesting  items  of  Dr. 
Deane's  diary,  we  read  : 

July  i,  1778. —  The  family  met  at  Freeman's  about  apprais- 
ing. 

July  2. —  In  the  division  of  plate  Eunice  drew  the  small 
can,  buckles  and  snaps,  the  large  glass,  large  gold  ring,  dozen 
of  silver  jacket  buttons,  gallon  pot. 

May  I,  1788. —  Spinning  day. 


l88  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

This  is  explained  to  be  a  festive  occasion.  One 
hundred  of  the  ladies  of  the  parish  gathered  at  the 
parsonage  for  a  spinning  bee.  Sixty  spinning- 
wheels  are  said  to  have  hummed  the  entire  day,  and 
at  the  close  "  Mrs.  Deane  was  presented  with  two 
hundred  and  thirty-six  seven-knot  skeins  of  excel- 
lent cotton  and  linen  yarn,  the  work  of  the  day,  ex- 
cepting about  a  dozen  skeins  which  some  of  the 
company  brought  in  ready  spun."  The  portrait  of 
Eunice  Deane  beside  that  of  her  husband  on  the 
walls  of  the  Parish  House,  with  its  high  head- 
dress, folded  kerchief  and  elbow  sleeves,  is  a 
fair  representation  of  the  dress  of  a  lady  of  the 
period  in  which  she  lived.  The  artist  has  given  a 
hint  of  a  genial  nature  in  her  mild,  blue  eyes,  and 
love  for  the  beautiful  in  the  rosebud  she  holds  in 
her  well-rounded  hand. 

Having  been  the  faithful  companion  and  wise 
counselor  of  her  husband  forty-six  and  one-half 
years,  Eunice  Deane  died  October  14,  181 2,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five  years.  Her  husband  survived 
her  about  two  years.     They  had  no  children. 

Abigail  Titcomb  Sewall  came  to  York  from 
Newbury,  Massachusetts,  with  her  husband,  Henry 
Sewall.  She  was  a  woman  of  marked  piety  and 
early    indoctrinated  her    five    children  in  the   cat- 


ministers'  wives  189 

echism.  Her  son,  Rev.  Jotham  Sewall,  honored 
and  loved  as  "  Father  Sewall,"  devoted  a  long  life 
to  missionary  labors  in  Maine,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Massachusetts  Society.  He  says  of  his 
mother's  teaching : 

The  instruction  thus  received  impressed  my  mind  while  I 
was  very  young.  I  recollect  having  had  many  serious  in- 
quiries respecting  the  existence  of  God,  the  creation  of  the 
world  and  my  own  existence  when  I  was  about  three  years  old. 
And  from  that  time  forward  I  had  more  or  less  serious 
thoughts.  In  the  absence  of  my  father,  my  mother  frequently 
prayed  with  us,  and  some  of  the  expressions  she  used  im- 
pressed me.  When  teaching  us  the  catechism  she  often  inter- 
spersed such  remarks  and  exhortations  as  made  me  weep. 

Mrs.  Jenny  Sewall,  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Jotham 
Sewall,  was  a  native  of  Bath.  They  were  married 
in  1787.  Previous  to  this  Father  Sewall  had  laid 
the  foundation  for  their  home  by  building  a  camp 
in  the  woods  of  Chesterville. 

March  6,  1778,  it  is  recorded  in  his  diary  that 
they  arrived  at  night  with  their  goods,  and  com- 
menced living  in  a  family  state  at  their  own  habi- 
tation, having  taken  the  journey  from  Bath  with  a 
team. 

Jenny  Sewall  had  been  religiously  educated,  but 
had  never  received  in  her  soul  what  she  believed 
to  be  the  witness  of  the  spirit.  This  was  a  matter 
of  great  anxiety  to  her  future  husband. 


1 90  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Often  did  he  pray  with  her  previous  to  their  marriage,  and 
press  the  subject  of  religion  upon  her,  while  she  would  be 
bathed  in  tears. 

Mrs.  Sewall  was  fortunate  in  having  resources 
within  herself,  as  her  husband's  parish  extended 
from  New  Brunswick  to  Massachusetts,  taking 
him  constantly  from  home,  and  when  bodily  pre- 
sent his  mind  was  often  weighed  down  with  the 
care  of  souls,  so  much  so  that  he  yearned  to  be 
alone  with  God.  Even  when  taking  his  wife 
through  the  wilderness  to  her  future  home  in 
Chesterville,  he  says  he  seized  a  few  moments  for 
retirement  on  the  road,  and  poured  out  his  soul  to 
God  with  much  affection.  The  next  morning  he 
writes  in  his  diary  : 

Got  a  sweet  time  alone  this  morning. 

In  1801,  with  six  living  children,  the  youngest 
but  a  fortnight  old,  Mrs.  Sewall  was  left  alone  with 
the  care  of  the  family  and  the  farm.  Her  hus- 
band, kneeling  by  her  bedside  commended  her  to 
the  Lord,  praying  that  she  and  the  children  might 
be  preserved  and  provided  for  in  his  absence. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  his  work  as  state  mis- 
sionary, which  he  continued  through  his  life. 

After  fifty-four  years  of  toil,  patient  watching 
and  waiting,  Jenny  Sewall  passed    to    the  higher 


MINISTERS     WIVES  I9I 

life.  Her  husband  was  bowed  in  grief  over  her 
loss.  His  sympathy  was  excited  in  her  behalf  by 
remembering  that  his  absence  for  the  work  of  the 
ministry  had  thrown  upon  her  the  care  and  labor 
of  training  a  numerous  family,  and  had  imposed 
upon  her,  in  many  respects,  a  heavy  weight  of  anx- 
iety and  responsibility,  which  probably  bent  her 
erect  form  sooner  than  it  would  otherwise  have 
stooped,  and  might  have  induced  the  very  infirm- 
ities under  which  she  finally  sank.  She  attained 
to  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  Her  husband 
wrote  of  her: 

She  was    a  discreet,  prudent,  faithful,  patient,    industrious, 
loving,  persevering,  good  wife. 

Rev.  Paul  Ruggles,  with  his  wife  Mercy  Dexter, 
penetrated  into  the  heart  of  the  present  town  of 
Carmel,  and  made  the  first  settlement.  On  their 
arrival  they  caught  trout  with  a  basket,  dipping 
them  as  with  a  net. 

Mrs.  Ruggles  awoke  one  morning  to  see  a  large 
white  owl  perched  on  her  bedpost. 

Mr.  Ruggles  was  a  famous  preacher  for  many 
years,  and  Mother  Ruggles  looked  well  to  the 
home  and  farm.  She  lived  to  be  ninety-eight 
years  old,  and  greatly  enjoyed  watching  the  pro- 
gress and  improvement  of  the  country  on  whose 


192  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

soil  she  was  the  first  white    woman    "  to  set  her 
foot." 

Mrs.  Mary  Richmond  Loring  of  Yarmouth 
greatly  aided  her  husband  in  the  affairs  of  their 
parish.  She  so  impressed  all  with  her  quiet  dig- 
nity that  her  people  styled  her  "  Madam  Loring." 
She  trained  her  ten  children  to  habits  of  industry 
and  economy. 

Her  family  was  a  helpful  object  lesson  to  the 
flock.  In  warm  weather  they  went  to  meeting 
barefooted  that  those  who  could  not  have  shoes 
might  not  stay  at  home. 

Rev.  Isaac  Rogers  brought  his  bride,  Eliza 
French  Rogers,  from  Newburyport,  Massachusetts, 
to  Farmington,  Maine,  in  a  one-horse  chaise. 
This  vehicle  was  ever  after  a  prominent  feature  in 
their  parish  work.  Mother  Rogers  usually  accom- 
panied her  husband  on  his  pastoral  visits. 

Mr.  Butler,  in  his  history  of  Farmington,  says 
of  her: 

She  was  a  women  of  remarkable  intelligence,  of  a  brilliant 
intellect  and  of  great  executive  ability  as  well  as  deep  piety. 
Without  children  of  their  own,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rogers  were  like 
father  and  mother  to  all  the  youth  of  the  parish,  and  the  love 
given  to  them  was  deep  and  fervent.  Mrs.  Rogers  died  April 
27,  1867. 


MINISTERS     WIVES  I93 

When  questioned  in  regard  to  her  condition  by 
those  who  lovingly  watched  by  her  dying  bed,  she 
replied:  "I  do  not  know;  I  have  never  been 
dying  before." 

Mother  Rogers  had  the  courage  of  her  convic- 
tions. When  once  decided  upon  a  conscientious 
course  she  was  not  easily  moved  from  her 
purpose. 

She  was  an  omnivorous  reader,  fond  of  romance, 
believing  that  in  these  work-a-day  lives  of  ours 
was  needed  something  more  to  arouse  the  imagina- 
tion and  stimulate  the  affection  than  the  simple 
routine  of  daily  cares  and  duties.  There  was  a 
merry  twinkle  in  her  dark  blue  eyes,  so  often  mis- 
taken for  black,  as  she  told  how  one  of  her  lady 
parishioners  had  interviewed  her  in  regard  to  the 
character  of  her  last  book,  questioning  whether 
the  minister's  wife  ought  to  read  a  book  classed 
among  light  literature.  She  would  assume  rather 
a  supercilious  pose  as  she  imitated  her  questioner : 
"  Is  it  a  true  story,  Mrs.  Rogers  ? " 

In  some  ways  she  was  the  opposite  of  her  hus- 
band, being  in  many  respects  more  strongly 
orthodox  than  he.  That  she  was  his  affinity  was 
never  questioned.  He  was  a  devoted  husband  and 
in  sweet  accord  they  pursued  their  chosen  work. 
The  world  loves  a  lover  still. 

13 


194  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

A  leader  in  the  social  life  of  her  people,  Mrs. 
Rogers  was  always  present  at  the  sewing  circle, 
where  the  younger  women  and  children  gathered 
about  her,  to  listen  to  the  story  she  was  always 
ready  to  tell  them.  One  of  them,  then  a  little 
girl,  remembers  that  she  worked  on  one  end  of  a 
sheet,  while  Mother  Rogers  hemmed  the  other, 
and  at  the  same  time  told  her  the  story  of  the 
last  book  she  had  read. 

Though  lenient  in  many  ways,  she  was  opposed 
to  dancing  as  an  amusement  at  church  circles. 
At  one  of  these  gatherings  the  young  people, 
watching  their  opportunity  when  the  older  ones 
were  busily  engaged  in  the  parlor,  had  shut  them- 
selves into  the  big  kitchen,  and  were  enjoying  the 
mazy  tread,  when  Mother  Rogers'  ever-watchful 
eye  discovered  that  there  was  "  something  gone." 
She  immediately  felt  the  need  of  warming  her  feet 
by  the  cook-stove  and  went  to  the  kitchen  ostensi- 
bly for  that  purpose,  to  the  dismay  of  the  merry 
dancers  who  scattered  at  once. 

Not  inclined  to  be  domestic,  she  made  no  pre- 
tentions to  being  a  pattern  housekeeper,  yet  dis- 
charged the  many  duties  that  devolved  upon  her 
cheerfully.  The  minister's  home  in  those  days 
was  seldom  without  its  guests.  The  hotel  near 
her  did  a  smaller  business  in  consequence  of  her 
open  door. 


MINISTERS     WIVES  I95 

President  of  the  Mothers'  Association,  she  led 
the  meetings  in  prayer,  joined  with  them  in  sing- 
ing and  counseled  the  younger  mothers  in  regard 
to  the  training  of  their  children. 

Of  the  monthly  missionary  meeting  she  was  the 
entire  institution.  She  was  president,  secretary, 
treasurer  and  collector.  The  meetings  were  held 
at  her  parlor,  and  if  a  member  absented  herself 
Mother  Rogers  knew  the  reason. 

Before  starting  for  the  weekly  prayer-meeting 
she  was  wont  to  furnish  herself  with  matches  and 
kindling,  knowing  by  previous  experience  that  the 
lighting  of  the  fire  in  the  stove  might  devolve 
upon  her.  This  fire  she  might  kindle,  but  the 
sacred  fire  in  the  hearts  of  their  people  could  be 
lighted  in  the  public  assembly  only  by  Father 
Rogers,  however  much  the  unspoken  word  might 
burn  upon  the  lips  of  Mother  Rogers. 

Hannah  Bridge  Jewett,  the  wife  of  Rev,  Henry 
C,  Jewett,  is  remembered  in  Winslow  to-day  as  "  a 
delicate-looking  lady,  refined  and  gentle."  The 
women  of  the  town,  after  the  manner  of  the  times, 
had  presented  her  with  a  new  spring  bonnet,  but 
in  making  their  purchase  had  consulted  the  pre- 
vailing style  rather  than  the  recipient.  As  the 
minister's  wife  she  did  not  dare  to  slight  the  gift, 


196  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

but  appeared  in  church  greatly  disconcerted  at  the 
unbecoming  effect  of  the  expensive  headdress. 

Jerusha  Bryant  was  a  native  of  Newcastle.  She 
was  born  in  1801.  Her  family  removed  to  Ban- 
gor, where  she  enjoyed  superior  educational  advan- 
tages. She  was  deeply  religious.  As  a  teacher  in 
the  public  schools  of  Bangor,  she  impressed  her 
strong  personality  upon  her  pupils,  many  of  whom 
through  her  influence  were  attracted  to  the  Chris- 
tian life. 

She  was  a  consistent  and  helpful  member  of  the 
First  Baptist  church,  always  in  her  place  at  the 
social  meetings  and  in  the  Sunday-school. 

In  his  autobiography  Rev.  Royal  Crafts  Spauld- 
ing  says  : 

I  was  married  to  Miss  Jerusha  Barstow  Bryant  of  Bangor, 
October  7,  1828.  So  then  I  had  a  domestic  home  and  an 
ecclesiastical  home  in  the  little  town  of  Levant  and  there  we 
continued  and  labored  until  1834.  In  January  of  that  year  I 
resigned  my  charge  at  Levant  and  became  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church  of  East  Corinth,  where  we  labored  nine  years 
with  that  dear  people  and  formed  precious  friendship  in  both 
of  these  towns  that  we  trust  will  be  perpetuated  in  the 
heavenly  world. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  Maine  Baptist  Mis- 
ionary    Board,    as   pioneer  missionaries,    Mr.   and 


MINISTERS     WIVES  1 97 

Mrs.  Spaulding  subsequently  labored  in  Aroostook 
County  thirty  years. 

How  thoroughly  they  were  coworkers  may  be 
learned  from  their  correspondence  before  she  was 
able  to  join  him  there,  and  from  the  testimony  of 
those  with  whom  they  labored. 

In  one  of  his  letters  he  asks  her  to  prepare  a 
circular  letter  to  the  Baptist  sisters  in  Linneus,  in 
Limerick  and  Houlton.  She  entered  upon  the 
active  missionary  work  as  soon  as  her  family  cares 
would  admit.  They  always  kept  their  "domestic 
home  "  in  Houlton  a  quiet  retreat  from  which  they 
journeyed  and  to  which  they  often  returned  for 
rest. 

Mrs.  Spaulding  was  an  orderly  housekeeper  and 
was  often  quoted  by  mothers  in  encouraging  faith- 
fulness to  details,  in  their  daughters.  The  fact 
that  Mrs.  Spaulding,  the  expected  guest,  would 
like  to  see  the  work  nicely  done,  was  an  incentive 
to  well  doing. 

Summer  and  winter  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spaulding 
journeyed  on  their  mission  of  love.  The  children 
of  the  scattered  neighborhoods  learned  to  watch 
for  their  carriage.  They  waited  for  it  by  the  road- 
side that  they  might  escort  to  their  homes  these 
much-loved  missionaries.  Their  visits  among  the 
people  are  delightful  memories  to-day.     The  little 


198  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

trunk,  filled  with  the  best  literature  which  they 
always  carried,  "was  an  exhaustless  fountain  of 
intellectual  and  moral  nourishment  for  almost  a 
generation  of  people."  Nothing  like  a  bookstore 
was  kept  in  Aroostook  County  till  twenty  years 
after  they  began  their  work. 

Over  all  this  region  in  hamlet  and  lonely  cabin  in  the  woods 
the  tracts,  Bibles,  devotional,  historical  and  biographical 
books,  out  of  this  wonderful  trunk,  were  spread  with  a  gener- 
ous hand.  It  was  not  for  money  returned  that  the  work  was 
done. 

Truly  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spaulding  went  about  doing 
good.     Their  very  presence  was  a  benediction. 

It  was  largely  through  Mrs.  Spaulding's  efforts 
that  the  first  Baptist  meeting-house  in  Houlton 
was  built.  Among  the  wealthy  business  men  of 
Bangor  were  some  of  her  former  pupils,  to  whom 
she  unfolded  her  plans.  From  them  she  collected 
the  first  money  for  the  building  of  the  church. 
With  this  she  purchased  the  lot  and  logs  for  the 
lumber.  With  the  completion  of  the  building  and 
a  settled  pastor  in  Houlton,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spauld- 
ins:  were  somewhat  relieved  of  their  active  labors. 

Mr.  Spaulding  failing  in  health,  Mrs.  Spaulding 
had  the  great  privilege  of  "  having  him  to  herself," 
and  of  caring  for  him  through  a  prolonged  illness. 


MINISTERS     WIVES  1 99 

She  survived  him  only  a  few  years,  and  when  she 
too  went  home,  it  was  reverently  said : 

This  woman  was  full  of  good  works  and  almsdeeds  which 
she  did. 

And  all  the  widows  stood  by  him  weeping  and  showing  the 
coats  and  garments  which  Dorcas  made  while  she  was  with 
them. 

Rev.  Cazneau  Palfrey  was  for  many  years  pastor 
of  the  Unitarian  church  at  Belfast.  The  state 
conference  was  holding  its  annual  session  in  the 
city.  It  was  a  large  gathering.  At  the  close  of 
the  afternoon  service  Mr.  Palfrey,  in  the  most 
cordial  and  impressive  manner,  invited  all  min- 
isters and  their  wives  and  the  delegates  to  take 
supper  at  the  parsonage.  This  was  the  first  inti- 
mation that  Ann  Crosby  Palfrey,  his  wife,  had  of 
his  intention.  There  was  not  much  time  for  pre- 
paration. The  guests  might  reach  her  home 
before  she  could  get  there. 

Her  feelings  are  better  imagined  than  described. 
She  smiled  sweetly,  but  her  friends  were  not  slow 
to  interpret  the  inner  conflict  between  the  house- 
keeper and  the  minister's  wife  ;  but  every  woman- 
heart  of  her  parish  was  beating  in  sympathy  with 
hers. 

When  did  Maine  women  ever  fail  to  rally  to  the 


200  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

aid  of  their  ministers  wife  in  such  an  emergency? 
Mrs.  Eliza  Simonton  White,  whose  home  was  op- 
posite the  parsonage,  knew  the  condition  of  her 
neighbor's  larder.  At  her  suggestion  the  women 
were  soon  on  their  way  to  Mrs.  Palfrey's  home 
well  laden  with  food  from  their  own  households. 
An  hour  later  when  the  guests  arrived  they  were 
welcomed  by  the  hostess  and  her  two  daughters. 

When  the  good  minister  led  his  company  into 
the  dining-room  the  well-filled  tables  abundantly 
supplied  with  all  the  delicacies  of  the  season  were 
no  surprise  to  him.  He  never  questioned  the 
source. 

It  never  dawned  upon  his  consciousness  that  he 
was  not  fed  like  the  prophet  of  old  —  by  the 
ravens,  and  to  the  end  of  his  life  he  never  dreamed 
of  the  shock  sustained  by  every  woman  of  his 
parish  at  his  untimely  hospitality. 

Sarah  Clement,  wife  of  the  Rev.  William  Fes- 
senden,  of  Fryeburg,  Maine,  was  the  daughter  of 
Samuel  Clement,  of  Haverhill,  Massachusetts, 
where  she  was  born  April  6,  1752,  O.  S.  She  died 
in  Portland,  Maine,  at  the  residence  of  her  son. 
General  Samuel  Fessenden,  April  7,  1835.  In 
early  life  she  went  to  Dunbarton,  New  Hampshire, 
to  live  with  an   uncle,  Caleb   Page,  a  man   of  note 


MINISTERS     WIVES  20I 

and  property  for  that  day.  Here  she  met  her  hus- 
band, who  had  gone  there  to  preach,  and  there 
married  him,  August  4,  1774.  In  that  year  a 
body  of  pioneers  had  begun  a  settlement  in  the 
wilderness  in  what  is  now  the  beautiful  town  of 
Fryeburg.  The  settlers  invited  her  husband  to 
become  their  minister  the  following  year,  1775. 
He  accepted,  and  remained  their  pastor  till  his 
death  in  1805. 

The  early  years  of  his  ministry  were  full  of 
toil,  hardships  and  privation,  and  imposed  heavy 
burdens  upon  the  young  wife.  Their  house  was 
built  in  the  fashion  of  that  day,  two  rooms  and  an 
entry  in  front,  with  a  large  kitchen  and  small  bed- 
room in  the  rear.  The  kitchen,  with  its  big  fire- 
place, and  oven  on  one  side,  was  the  living-room. 
It  had  its  settle,  where  one  could  keep  warm  in 
the  coldest  weather.  Here  she  sewed  in  the  even- 
ing by  the  light  of  a  pine  torch —  all  the  light  they 
had,  and  here  her  husband  wrote  his  sermons, 
while  she  sewed  or  spun.  Behind  was  the  dresser, 
with  its  shining  pewter  plates,  the  round  table 
with  its  six  legs.  The  dish  on  which  the  food  was 
served  was  a  huge  pewter  platter,  which  was  after- 
ward used  in  the  house  of  one  of  her  children,  as 
a  cover  for  the  flour  barrel. 

Most  of  the  garments  were   of  home   manufac- 


202  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

ture.  She  spun  the  nicest  thread,  and  one  of  her 
grandchildren  still  preserves  an  apron  of  Madam 
Fessenden's  spinning. 

In  this  house  she  bore  her  husband  the  large 
family  of  nine  children,  besides  performing  her 
domestic  duties,  rearing  her  children,  and  assisting 
her  husband  in  his  parish.  She  had  no  help  ex- 
cept such  as  was  occasionally  rendered  by  a  neigh- 
bor or  friend. 

The  work  was  hard  and  the  fare  scanty,  but 
with  all  the  privations  she  did  not  neglect  the  edu- 
cation of  her  children.  She  taught  them  all  to 
read,  and  to  love  to  read  and  study.  One  who 
knew  her  said  she  was  a  born  teacher.  Though 
not  having  the  early  mental  training  and  educa- 
tion of  her  husband,  her  excellent  sense,  native 
good  taste  and  great  intellectual  powers  soon 
made  her  a  woman  of  cultivated  mind,  while  her 
strong  character  made  her  a  fit  helpmate  for  a 
pioneer  clergyman. 

Left  a  widow  with  a  large  family,  under  trying 
circumstances,  she  reared  her  children  in  the  high- 
est principles,  the  accomplishments  of  a  liberal 
education  and  the  training  for  laborious  and  useful 
lives.  Two  of  her  sons  were  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth and  one  at  Bowdoin  College.  All  of  her 
descendants  felt  the  profoundest  reverence  for  her 


MINISTERS     WIVES  2O3 

strong  and  beautiful  character.  Willis,  the  histo- 
rian, speaks  of  her  as  "  the  wise  and  genial  woman." 
Senator  Fessenden,  her  grandson,  looked  up  to 
her  with  the  warmest  affection  and  respect.  How 
she  performed  her  part  toward  her  children  in 
what  was  a  frontier  village  may  be  seen  from  a  de- 
scription of  her  oldest  daughter  in  an  oration 
delivered  concerning  its  history  : 

Reared  in  the  wilderness,  with  few  schools,  and  constantly 
employed  in  domestic  concerns,  what  could  you  expect  and 
what  do  you  find  ?  A  mind  of  great  native  strength,  well 
trained,  and  cultivated  with  history,  theology,  biography  and 
poetry ;  familiar  with  Milton,  Thomson,  Young,  Pope  and 
Shakespeare.  To  the  question,  How  is  this  possible  ?  I 
answer,  that  her  mother,  Madam  Fessenden,  had  an  herculean 
mind,  and  left  its  impress  on  her  offspring.  To  originality, 
strength,  and  vigor  of  intellect  in  her  was  added  a  taste  for 
poetry  and  music,  with  a  melodious  voice  of  great  compass. 
In  the  family  circle  was  the  best  training  for  children  and 
youth,  the  father,  a  warm-hearted,  educated,  gentlemanly  man, 
gifted  with  unusual  skill  in  leading  and  teaching  the  inquiring 
mind.  At  an  early  age,  in  addition  to  common  studies,  the 
children  became  historians,  biographers,  geographers,  and  even 
theologians,  and  mostly  acquired  in  their  leisure  from  their 
domestic  and  agricultural  employments,  not  from  books  only, 
but  from  the  oral  communications  of  their  parents. 

In  her  old  age  she  would  teach  her  grandchil- 
dren to  recite  poetry,  and  would  have  them  dance 
while    she    sang   for  them.     On    Sundays    she  in- 


204  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

structed  them  in  the  catechism.  Her  memory 
was  prodigious,  and  she  could  repeat  all  the 
psalms  and  hymns  used  in  public  worship.  Mil- 
ton was  one  of  her  favorite  poets.  In  personal 
appearance  she  was  tall  and  commanding,  with  a 
courteous  manner,  which  she  retained  even  to  old 
age ;  bright  gray-blue  eyes,  a  fair  complexion,  and 
an  uncommonly  fine  head.  She  was  eminently 
religious,  an  omnivorous  reader,  yet  the  Bible  was 
her  companion,  and  daily  she  "  entered  into  her 
closet." 

The  affection  which  this  remarkable  woman 
inspired  is  seen  in  an  extract  from  a  letter  written 
to  her  by  her  husband  on  hearing  she  had  been  ill : 

My  Dear  Companion  :  —  Thou  whom  next  to  heaven  I 
love.  I  received  your  kind  letter  yesterday,  but  how  can  I 
express  the  concern  I  have  on  account  of  the  ill  state  of  your 
health.  Oh,  my  Sally,  what  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  All  that 
you  say  in  your  letter  about  your  health  is,  that  you  are  in  a 
poor  state.  Why,  oh  why,  did  you  leave  me  on  the  rack  !  Oh, 
my  Sally,  you  can't  think  what  anxiety  of  mind  I  am  in  on 
account  of  your  health  —  that  health  which  is  so  dear  to  me. 
Did  you  but  know  how  much  I  prize  you,  how  much  I  love 
you,  you  would  not  wonder  at  my  uneasiness  of  mind  when  I 
hear  that  you,  the  beloved  of  my  soul,  are  unwell.  To  hear 
that  you  were  so  well  as  that  you  were  spinning,  is  no  allevia- 
tion of  my  uneasiness,  because  I  fear  you  spin  when  you  are 
unable.  Is  my  charmer  in  a  poor  state  of  health  ?  Oh,  that 
God  in   his  infinite  wisdom  would  appear  to  you,  and  remove 


MINISTERS     WIVES  20$ 

your  illness,  and  restore  you  to  health  again  !  My  mind  is  so 
perplexed  I  do  not  know  what  to  do.  One  time  I  think  I  will 
set  off  and  come  to  you  immediately.  My  dearest  wife,  I 
charge  you  as  you  value  my  love  to  be  careful  of  yourself. 
Don't  be  so  intent  on  work,  for  I  had  rather  go  out  to  day  la- 
bor and  procure  a  maintenance  for  you,  than  to  have  you 
worry  yourself  when  you  are  unwell.  Oh,  be  careful  of  your- 
self, do  everything  that  you  think  would  be  for  your  health. 
Spare  no  cost  for  anything  you  want,  if  it  is  comfortable.  Oh, 
my  Sally,  my  tenderest  esteem  and  truest  love  5^ou  have,  and 
my  prayer  to  God  is  that  this  letter  may  find  you  well,  and 
your  love  to  me  unaltered.  I  subscribe  myself  as  I  really  am, 
your  affectionate,  and  constant,  and  loving  husband, 

William  Fessenden. 

The  husband  of  this  noble  woman  has  been 
described  in  publications  concerning  Fryeburg  as 
generous  and  hospitable  to  a  fault.  "  He  ever 
kept  open  doors,  and  always  bade  a  hearty  wel- 
come to  all  the  hospitalities  he  was  able  to  furnish, 
not  merely  to  acquaintances  and  friends,  but  to  the 
stranger  and  passing  traveler,  and  all  who  sought 
a  temporary  asylum  under  his  roof."  But  it  should 
be  remembered  that  if  the  husband  welcomed  the 
stranger  and  the  wanderer  to  his  house,  it  fell  to 
the  wife  to  provide  them  with  food  and  a  resting- 
place.  The  care  and  the  labor  fell  upon  the 
helpmate. 

Their  hospitality  is  proved  by  the  following  inci- 
dent.    The  family  had  been  living  for  some  weeks 


206  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

on  simple  and  meager  fare.  It  was  at  last  resolved 
to  have  a  feast  by  sacrificing  all  that  was  left  of 
their  flock  of  fowls,  a  solitary  rooster.  Just  as  he 
was  prepared  for  the  oven,  a  minister  and  his  wife 
appeared.  The  children  were  told  that  their 
guests  must  be  fed  first  of  all.  The  boys  and 
girls  watched  the  meal  from  the  outside.  The 
rooster  gradually  disappeared  before  the  good 
appetites  of  their  guests,  until  at  last  one  of  the 
boys  announced  to  the  others,  with  a  cry  of  disap- 
pointment, "  There  goes  the  last  drumstick." 

The  monument  erected  to  her  husband  and  her- 
self bears  the  following  inscription  : 

Sarah  Clement  Fessenden, 

wife  of  the  Rev*^  William  Fessenden.  Born  at  Haverhill, 
Mass.,  April  6*^  1752,  O.  S.  Died  at  Portland,  Maine,  April 
7^^,  1835.  Endowed  with  an  admirable  understanding  and 
warm  affections,  early  impressed  by  religious  truth,  and  trained 
in  the  practice  of  Christian  virtue,  she  afforded  through  life 
a  bright  example  of  all  that  is  excellent  in  woman.  A  bless- 
ing to  her  husband,  her  children  and  her  children's  children, 
loving  and  beloved  to  the  last,  she  left  of  herself  only  the 
most  refreshing  memories. 

Indulgent  memory  wakes,  and  lo,  they  live. 


MOTHERS  OF  LONGFELLOW 


XVI 
MOTHERS  OF  LONGFELLOW 

Elizabeth  Bartlette  Wardsworth. 
ZiLPAH  Wardsworth  Longfellow. 
Lucia  Wardsworth. 


She  lives  whom  we  call  dead. 


Longfellow. 


ELIZABETH  BARTLETTE  was  a  Ply- 
mouth  girl  with  a  line  of  ancestors  center- 
ing in  the  Mayflower.  In  her  veins  flowed  the 
blood  of  John  Alden  and  Elder  Brewster. 

When  Peleg  Wardsworth,  after  graduating  at 
Harvard,  taught  school  in  Plymouth,  only  a  short 
distance  from  his  home  at  Duxbury,  it  was  but  nat- 
ural that  he  should  marry  Elizabeth  Bartlette. 

Mrs.  Henrietta  Rovve,  in  her  recent  New  Eng- 
land stories,  has  reviewed  some  of  the  experiences 
of  Elizabeth  Bartlette  Wardsworth.  The  Portland 
Daughters  of  the  Revolution  have  perpetuated  her 
memory  in  the  Elizabeth  Wardsworth  Chapter. 
14  209 


2IO  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

After  the  defeat  of  the  Penobscot  expedition  in 
1779,  General  Peleg  Wardsworth  was  entrusted 
with  the  command  of  the  entire  District  of  Maine. 
He  established  his  headquarters  at  Thomaston, 
having  a  garrison  of  six  hundred  soldiers.  Mrs. 
Wardsworth  must  have  joined  her  husband  the 
following  summer,  1780.  She  brought  with  her 
three  children,  the  youngest  a  babe  in  arms,  born 
in  Boston,  September  21,  1779. 

She  was  accompanied  by  her  friend,  Miss 
Fenno,  of  Boston.  They  were  brave  women,  fa- 
miliar with  the  scenes  of  pioneer  life.  They  had 
experienced  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill.  Mrs. 
Wardsworth  had  joined  her  husband,  not  to  be 
cared  for,  but  to  aid  and  comfort  him  in  the  trying 
duties  that  devolved  upon  him.  From  her  we 
learn  how  greatly  distressed  General  Wardsworth 
was  at  being  obliged  to  execute  the  penalty  of  the 
law  in  the  case  of  Baum,  who  was  hanged  at 
Thomaston  for  aiding  Tories  to  escape  to  Castine. 

The  term  of  service  of  his  soldiers  having  ex- 
pired. General  Wardsworth  was  left  with  a  garri- 
son of  only  six  men,  intending  to  take  his  family 
to  Boston  in  a  few  days.  This  information  having 
reached  the  commander  of  the  fort  at  Castine,  he 
sent  a  party  of  twenty-five  men  to  capture  him. 
He  was  surprised,  wounded,  and  taken  prisoner  in 
the  night,  February  18,  1780. 


MOTHERS    OF    LONGFELLOW  211 

Mrs.  Wardsworth  concealed  her  three  children 
so  adroitly  in  the  bed  that,  though  bullets  were 
fired  in  every  direction  and  the  bed  searched  by 
the  soldiers,  they  were  unharmed.  Zilpah  Wards- 
worth,  afterward  Mrs.  Longfellow,  was  one  of  the 
babies  in  the  bed  when  it  was  poked  over  by 
British  bayonets.  She  was  three  years  old  at  the 
time.  Mrs.  Pierce  recalls  hearing  her  mother  tell 
the  story  as  she  learned  it  from  her  mother,  Eliza- 
beth Wadsworth. 

General  Wardsworth  bravely  defended  his  home 
until  he  was  wounded  in  the  arm  ;  he  then  surren- 
dered and  was  hurried  away  in  the  darkness.  Mrs. 
Wardsworth  sustained  her  husband  through  the 
sad  parting,  though  she  was  denied  the  privilege 
of  caring  for  his  wounded  arm.  Neither  of  them 
then  knew  the  fate  of  the  children,  whether  they 
were  alive  even  or  not.  It  was  two  weeks  before 
General  Wardsworth  could  learn  of  their  safety. 
Though  she  might  never  see  him  again,  Elizabeth 
Wardsworth  could  not  linger  to  watch  the  dis- 
appearance of  her  husband,  as  he  was  torn  from 
his  devastated  home.  The  groans  of  the  dying 
soldiers,  the  cry  of  the  children,  demanded  imme- 
diate service.  The  windows  of  the  house  had 
been  shattered,  the  doors  burst  from  their  hinges, 
the  floor  covered  with  blood,  and  to  her  dismay 
she  discovered  her  home  was  on  fire. 


212  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

With  all  her  added  cares  Mrs.  Wardsworth, 
determined  to  visit  her  husband  at  Castine,  where 
he  was  imprisoned.  After  four  months  the  com- 
mander of  the  fort  yielded  to  her  importunity. 

Accompanied  by  her  friend,  Miss  Fenno,  she 
remained  at  Fort  George,  Castine,  two  weeks,  and 
there  learned  that  her  husband  was  not  to  be  ex- 
changed, as  she  had  so  fondly  hoped,  but  to  be 
taken  a  prisoner  to  England.  She  was  not  allowed 
to  convey  this  intelligence  to  him,  but  bore  the 
bitter  parting  for  his  sake  with  true  heroism. 

It  was  the  purport  of  her  mission  to  Fort 
George  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  her  husband.  We 
may  be  very  sure  that  it  was  through  her  efforts 
that  a  vessel  from  Boston,  with  a  flag  of  truce,  was 
sent  soon  after  by  the  governor,  asking  for  the 
exchange  of  General  Wardsworth,  and  offering  a 
large  sum  of  money  for  his  release.  All  their 
efforts  were  unavailing.  General  Wardsworth  and 
Major  Benjamin  Burton,  who  were  confined  in  the 
same  room,  soon  became  aware  of  their  fate.  If 
sent  to  London  they  felt  sure  death  awaited  them. 
They  effected  their  escape  and  after  many  perils 
found  their  way  to  Thomaston,  in  June,  1780. 

After  the  Revolution,  General  Wardsworth  and 
family  made  their  home  in  Portland.  He  built  the 
first  brick  house  in   Portland,   1785  and  1786.     In 


MOTHERS    OF    LONGFELLOW  21 3 

this  house,  still  standing  on  Congress  Street, 
centered  much  of  the  refinement  and  culture  of 
the  social  life  of  that  period. 

General  Wardsworth  subsequently  purchased  a 
large  tract  of  land  in  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Hiram.  Here  he  built  a  fine  house  which  is  well 
preserved  to-day.  He  moved  his  family  to  Hiram 
in  1807. 

General  and  Mrs.  Wardsworth  identified  them- 
selves with  all  the  religious,  educational  and  phil- 
anthropic movements  for  the  advancement  of  the 
social  life  of  the  community.  They  were  much 
loved  and  respected. 

In  the  small  cemetery  on  the  home  farm,  Eliza- 
beth Bartlette  Wardsworth  was  laid  to  rest  in  1825, 
General  Wardsworth  survived  his  wife  only  four 
years.  Of  their  eleven  children  eight  outlived  the 
parents. 

Zilpah  Wardsworth  Longfellow  was  well  moth- 
ered, inheriting  cheerfulness  and  fortitude.  Born 
in  Duxbury,  Massachusetts,  January  6,  1778.  She 
was  seven  years  old  when  the  family  came  to 
Portland. 

We  have  but  few  glimpses  of  her  girlhood. 
When  a  young  lady  of  twent3^-one  years,  she  was 
chosen  by  the  women  of  Portland  to  present  a 
banner  to   the  first  uniformed  company  of   Maine. 


214  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

The  company  was  drawn  up  in  front  of  her  home 
on  Congress  Street  for  the  occasion. 

From  this  home,  Zilpah  Wardsworth  was  mar- 
ried to  Stephen  Longfellow  in  1804,  and  to  it,  four 
years  later,  she  returned  with  her  two  children,  her 
father's  family  having  moved  to  Hiram. 

To  her  father's  country  seat,  Zilpah  Wardsworth 
Longfellow  often  took  her  children.  Her  letters 
written  at  this  time  show  how  truly  she  was  in 
sympathy  with  nature  in  all  its  aspects.  She 
would  sit  by  a  window  during  a  thunder  storm  and 
enjoy  the  excitement  of  its  splendor. 

She  was  a  constant  reader  of  the  Bible,  and  was 
especially  fond  of  the  Psalms.  She  commended 
religion  by  her  daily  walk  and  conversation.  Fa- 
miliar with  military  scenes  in  her  childhood,  she 
had  no  liking  for  war,  and  ever  advocated  peace. 

Samuel  Longfellow  speaks  of  his  mother  as 
beautiful  in  her  youth  and  retaining  her  beauty 
through  years  of  invalidism,  "  fond  of  music  and 
poetry ;  a  kind  friend  and  neighbor ;  a  devoted 
mother  to  her  children  whose  confidant  she  was ; 
the  sharer  of  their  little  secrets  and  their  joys ;  the 
ready  comforter  of  their  troubles,  and  the  patient 
corrector  of  their  faults." 

Her  sister,  Lucia  Wardsworth,  lived  with  her 
and    was    like    a   second    mother  to  her  children. 


MOTHERS    OF    LONGFELLOW  215 

She  is  remembered  by  the  elderly  people  of  Port- 
land to-day  for  her  quiet,  unostentatious  manner. 

Mrs.  Annie  Longfellow  Pierce,  daughter  of 
Zilpah  Longfellow  and  youngest  sister  of  the  poet, 
the  only  one  of  the  family  still  living  in  the  old 
homestead,  very  kindly  told  the  writer  of  her 
sweet  and  gentle  mother.  Mrs.  Pierce  loved  to 
recall  her  devotion  to  her  children. 

She  said  it  was  her  mother's  habit  to  go  out  to 
meet  her  children  on  their  return  from  school,  that 
she  might  know  the  character  of  the  children  with 
whom  they  associated.  She  looked  well  to  their 
studies,  educating  them  not  only  in  classic  English, 
but  in  French,  being  herself  a  fine  French  scholar. 

In  one  of  her  letters  to  her  brother,  Mrs.  Long- 
fellow, speaking  of  her  little  Henry,  then  eight 
months  old,  said:  "Just  like  all  children  you  will 
say.  No  doubt  of  it,  but  it  is  the  same  to  parents 
as  if  their  child  was  the  first  in  the  world." 

"  First  in  the  world  "  seems  almost  prophetic 
when  we  contemplate  this  same  Henry,  the  first 
poet  of  America,  given  a  place  in  the  Poets' 
Corner  of  Westminister  Abbey,  loved  alike  in 
Maine,  America,  England  and  the  world. 


TEMPERANCE  REFORM 


XVII 
TEMPERANCE   REFORM 

Whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.     Gal.  6  :  7. 
Totich  not ;  taste  not ;  handle  not.     CoL.  2:  21. 

THE  heroism  of  the  Maine  women  impresses 
itself  upon  us  when  we  realize  to  what  an 
extent  intemperance  prevailed  among  the  early 
pioneers.  There  were  dark  shadows  over  their 
homes.  Mr.  Elwell,  in  his  History  of  Maine,  tells 
us: 

The  evil  was  confined  to  no  class  of  society.  The  high  as 
well  as  the  low,  the  rich  as  well  as  the  poor,  fell  victims  to  the 
insidious  habit,  and  the  brightest  and  most  promising  young 
men  of  the  community  were  destroyed  body  and  soul  by  it. 

The  launching  of  a  vessel  was  usually  a  gala- 
day,  and  an  ample  supply  of  intoxicants  was  pro- 
vided. The  bottle  was  thought  to  be  indispens- 
able at  all  gatherings  for  cooperative  work,  as  at 
raisings,  huskings,  log-rollings  and  rafting  timber. 

219 


220  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

In  a  bill  of  expenses  incurred  at  an  ordination  in 
the  vicinity  of  Kittery,  there  are  charged  eight 
quarts  of  rum  and  two  of  brandy  for  the  clergy. 

The  picture  seems  almost  too  dark  when  we 
learn  that  even  funerals  were  made  the  occasion 
for  circulating  the   intoxicating  cup. 

The  Maine  mothers  brought  their  innate  tem- 
perance principles  to  their  forest  homes.  Women 
very  early  in  the  history  of  the  state  banished  the 
decanter  from  the  sideboards ;  refused,  from  prin- 
ciple, to  offer  wine  to  their  guests,  and  substituted 
coffee  and  other  nourishing  drinks  for  intoxicants 
at  raisings,  huskings,  and  other  gatherings. 

There  are  many  indications  of  a  temperance 
renaissance  beginning  soon  after  Maine  became 
a  state.  This  was  principally  instituted  and  car- 
ried on  by  the  women,  though  their  influence  was 
not  then  acknowledged. 

The  mothers  of  Maine  anticipated  the  great 
Washingtonian  movement  of   1840. 

The  first  temperance  society  organized  in  Indus- 
try was  composed  entirely  of  lady  members  from 
Industry  and  adjoining  towns.  Though  the  exact 
date  of  its  formation  is  not  known,  it  is  probable 
that  this  society  existed  prior  to  1829. 

The  following  extract  from  the  constitution  of 
this  society  is  an  interesting  study  : 


TEMPERANCE    REFORM  221 

We  will  discountenance  all  addresses  from  any  of  the  male 
sex,  with  a  view  to  matrimony,  if  they  shall  be  known  to  drink 
spirits,  either  periodically  or  on  any  public  occasion. 

We,  as  mothers,  daughters  and  sisters,  will  use  our  influence 
to  prevent  the  marriage  of  our  friends  with  a  man  who  shall 
habitually  drink  any  of  the  ardent  spirit. 

Ladies'  Aid  and  other  temperance  societies  were 
established  by  the  women  in  various  parts  of  the 
state.  There  was  organized  in  Winthrop  a  Mar- 
tha Washington  Society  and  a  Division  of  the 
Daughters  of  Temperance,  which  rendered  valua- 
ble aid  in  the  cause  of  temperance. 

The  Hon.  Neal  Dow  assured  the  writer  that 
he  inherited  his  temperance  principles  from  his 
mother.  Dorcas  Allen  Dow  was  a  temperance 
woman. 

The  Dows  were  Quakers,  and  every  month  at 
the  public  meeting  they  were  interrogated  with  : 
"Are  Friends  careful  to  abstain  from  intoxicating 
drinks  except  for  a  medicine  ?  " 

When  young  people,  Neal  Dow  and  his  two  sis- 
ters, Emma  and  Harriet,  were  to  give  a  party  to 
return  the  courtesy  of  their  many  young  friends. 
The  youngest  sister  proposed  that  they  have  no  wine. 
The  brother  and  older  sister  were  very  much  per- 
plexed over  it,  fearing  it  might  do  more  harm  than 
good,  and  were  afraid  their  friends  would  think  it 
shabby.     The  youngest  sister  settled  it  by  saying  : 


222  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

"  No  matter  what  others  may  think,  let  us  do  what 
we  think  is  right,  and  not  be  troubled  about  what 
people  will  say." 

Their  example  was  followed  in  many  of  the 
homes  of  Portland,  and  the  young  people  never 
had  occasion  to  regret  this  initiatory  step  in  tem- 
perance reform.  To  their  knowledge  their  course 
was  never  criticized.  The  custom  was  never  de- 
parted from  in  the  household. 

Mrs.  Cornelia  Durant  Dow  was  a  woman  of  rare 
executive  ability.  She  was  an  efficient  manager, 
and  for  many  years  treasurer  of  the  Old  Ladies' 
Home  of  Portland.  She  identified  herself  with 
the  philanthropic  and  temperance  work  of  her  hus- 
band, giving  to  him  her  fullest  sympathy. 

The  women  of  Allen's  Mills  organized  a  Ladies' 
Temperance  Band.  It  was  a  large  society.  Mrs. 
Elbridge  Gerry  was  chaplain.  They  made  a  spe- 
cialty of  administering  to  the  sick  and  needy. 
They  worked  in  every  line  of  the  philanthropies  of 
that  day.  Mrs.  Susan  Norton  and  Elizabeth 
Allen  were  active  workers. 

Many  women  were  members  of  a  temperance 
society  organized  in  Wilton  in  the  twenties,  of 
whom  Mary  M.  Allen  is  the  only  member  living. 
Though  now  in  her  eighty-third  year  she  recalls 


TEMPERANCE    REFORM  223 

that  the  women  were  asked  to  place  their  names 
upon  the  pledge ;  but  it  was  not  thought  proper 
for  them  to  have  any  part  officially.  They  were  to 
be  lay  members.  Betsey  Robbins  was  a  member 
of  this  society. 

Sarah  Sutherland  and  William  Johnston  were 
married  at  their  home  in  Miramachi,  New  Bruns- 
wick, and  came  to  the  States  on  the  Sandy  River. 
Here  six  children  were  born  to  them.  They  sub- 
sequently lived  in  Woodstock,  New  Brunswick, 
but  settled  in  the  Aroostook,  at  Fort  Fairfield. 

Mrs.  Johnston  knew  all  the  hardships  and  dep- 
rivations of  a  pioneer  life.  Their  house  became 
the  travelers'  home,  and  none  were  refused  en- 
trance. She  was  often  called  upon  to  administer 
to  the  sick  and  suffering.  Her  services  were 
never  withheld,  even  from  the  most  repulsive  case. 
The  drunken  debauchee  was  cared  for  with  all  a 
mother's  tenderness.  She  taught  temperance  by 
her  deeds  of  love  and  mercy  as  well  as  by  precept. 

She  was  mother  of  ten  children.  Her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Agnes  C.  Paul,  inherits  much  of  her  mother's 
fortitude.  She  is  known  throughout  the  state  as  a 
temperance  worker  and  philanthropist. 

Mrs.  Susan  Merrill  of  Buxton  was  an  earnest 
advocate  of  temperance.     She  often  spoke  at  the 


224  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

schoolhouse.  She  was  fearless  in  her  denuncia- 
tion of  the  evil  of  intemperance,  and  moved  her 
audience  by  her  eloquent  appeals.  In  religion  she 
was  a  Baptist. 

During  one  of  her  addresses  some  boys  annoyed 
her  by  laughing.  She  afterward  learned  that  they 
understood  her  to  say  alcohorn  for  alcohol.  When 
an  opportunity  presented  itself,  she  assured  the 
boys  it  was  not  an  unsuitable  name,  for  it  had 
hooked  many  a  man  into  the  gutter. 

One  of  the  most  effective  agencies  of  the 
Washingtonian  movement  in  Maine  was  the 
Martha  Washington  Cooperative  Society.  The 
Marthas  were  auxiliaries  to  the  Washingtonian 
Society.  They  were  very  general  throughout  the 
state.  The  Martha  Washington  Society  at  Har- 
rington was  formed  in  1842  and  has  continued  to 
the  present  time.  It  celebrated  its  fiftieth  anniver- 
sary  in  1892.  The  meetings  were  held  at  first 
monthly,  afterward  fortnightly.  It  was  a  sewing 
and  knitting  circle,  and  has  been  through  all  the 
phases  of  a  village  improvement  society.  They 
built  the  sidewalks,  purchased  a  hearse,  and  in 
many  ways  made  themselves  helpful  in  the  com- 
munity, besides  establishing  and  sustaining  a  cir- 
culating  library.     The  society  very  soon  partook 


TEMPERANCE    REFORM  22$ 

of  a  literary  nature.  Readers  were  appointed  at 
each  meeting  for  the  next.  Addresses  were  given 
at  stated  times. 

The  following  extracts  are  taken  from  the  con- 
stitution of  this  society. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  every  member  of  this  Society  to  pre- 
sent to  the  world  an  example  of  practical  temperance  and  to 
labor  for  the  good  and  promotion  of  Washingtonian  temper- 
ance by  principle. 

Nothing  of  a  party  or  sectarian  nature  shall  be  introduced 
into  the  deliberations  of  this  Society. 

The  meetings  shall  be  opened  by  reading  a  portion  of  the 
Bible  and  closed  by  singing. 

A  part  of  the  address  of  the  first  president, 
Ruby  Strout  Coffin,  given  at  the  home  of  Mrs. 
Sophia  Wilson,  March  i,  1843,  is  appended  below: 

Let  us  picture  to  ourselves  the  situation  of  the  inebriate's 
wife.  Perhaps  no  being  in  the  universe  excites  more  pity  than 
she.  Doubtless  she  left  her  youthful  home  with  high  hopes 
and  anticipations  as  bright  as  those  who  have  escaped  the 
vortex  of  intemperance.  She  entrusted  her  future  happiness, 
her  all,  to  one  who  promised  to  protect  her  through  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  life ;  but,  alas,  intemperance  came  in  an  unex- 
pected hour  and  marked  him  for  its  prey.  Imagine  for  a 
moment  the  feelings  of  that  disconsolate  wife,  where  now  can 
she  look  for  happiness  and  consolation.  Her  paternal  roof  no 
longer  shelters  her. 

In  the  presence  of  this  degraded  lump  of  humanity,  by 
intemperance  made  lower  than  the  brute,  with  no  kind  voice  to 

15 


226  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

salute  her  ear,  or  friend  to  sympathize  with  her,  I  ask  can  there 
be  a  more  unhappy  being  in  the  universe  ?  Those  who  have 
escaped  this  dreadful  evil  have  reason  for  gratitude.  We  who 
have  sons  coming  on  the  stage  of  action  cannot  train  them  too 
closely  in  the  paths  of  temperance.  Many  a  mother  has  looked 
upon  her  son  with  fond  hopes  that  he  would  be  the  support  of 
her  declining  years,  but  before  she  was  aware,  intemperance, 
the  foe  to  human  happiness,  had  been  undermining  her  future 
prospects,  and  marked  this  intelligent  youth  for  his  own,  leav- 
ing the  devoted  mother  to  mourn  over  the  vices  of  a  degraded 
son.     Who  can  portray  the  anguish  of  her  widowed  heart  ? 

Another  grand  object  of  this  society  is  to  benefit  ourselves 
and  children  in  after  years.  Perhaps  there  is  no  greater  source 
from  which  we  can  derive  benefit  than  a  library.  Who  among 
us  does  not  wish  to  stow  her  mind  with  useful  knowledge  ? 
Information  is  valuable.  Who  does  not  admire  a  fine  conversa- 
tionalist ?  Should  we  succeed  in  our  efforts  to  procure  a  library 
our  children  and  a  generation  yet  unborn  will  reap  the  reward 
of  our  doings. 

There  is  something  satisfactory  in  the  thought,  that  when  we 
are  slumbering  in  the  dust  the  succeeding  generation  will  share 
the  benefit  and  profit  by  the  zeal  manifested  by  this  benevolent 
society. 

In  later  years  the  women  have  been  identified 
with  all  temperance  movement. 

The  most  aggressive  work  has  been  carried  on 
through  the  Women's  Christian  Temperance 
Union,  which  very  early  in  its  history  found  able 
advocates  in  Maine. 

The  national  society  had  hardly  completed    its 


TEMPERANCE    REFORM  22/ 

organization  before  the  Maine  women  fell  into  line. 
The  first  state  president  was  Mrs.  Ruth  S.  Allen. 
She    was    succeded    by    Mrs.   Susan   M.   Sargeant. 

Mrs.  L.  M.  N.  Stevens,  who  had  served  as  treas- 
urer, was  made  the  third  president.  She  has  con- 
tinued with  increasing  popularity  to  the  present 
time. 

Mrs.  Stevens  was  born  in  Dover.  Her  family 
name  was  Ames.  She  was  educated  at  the  Fox- 
croft  Academy  and  Westbrook  Seminary ;  was  a 
teacher  for  several  years ;  married  Michael  Tit- 
comb  Stevens  in  1865.  They  made  their  home  at 
the  old  homestead  in  Stroudwater.  Here  their 
only  child,  Gertrude,  was  born,  and  received  the 
most  careful  training  of  a  devoted  mother. 

Mrs.  Stevens  is  a  systematic  housekeeper,  enter- 
ing into  all  the  details  of  her  household.  She 
entertains  with  a  generous  hospitality.  She  has 
taken  to  her  home  and  heart  many  homeless 
children.  She  is  identified  with  the  state  philan- 
thropies, and  has  filled  many  positions  of  trust  in 
the  state  and  nation.  She  is  an  untiring:  worker, 
a  keen  observer,  an  independent  thinker,  a  devoted 
wife  and  mother.  She  is  loved  best  by  those  who 
know  her  best. 


ANTISLAVERY  MOVEMENT 


XVIII 
ANTISLAVERY  MOVEMENT 


Mere  surface  shadow  and  sunshine  ! 

While  the  sounding  unifies  all. 
One  loi'e,  one  hope,  one  duly  theirs. 

No  matter  the  time  or  ken. 
There  never  was  separate  heart-beat  in  all  the  races  of  men. 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly. 

With  malice  towards  none,  7vith  charity  for  all,  with  firmness  in  the  right, 

as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right. 

Akraham  Lincoln. 


ESTHER  WELD  was  born  in  Livermore.  As 
a  girl  she  evinced  great  interest  in  the  ques- 
tion of  slavery.  She  married  E.  P.  Gibbs  of  Peru 
and  found  in  the  husband  of  her  choice  a  warm 
sympathizer  with  her  antislavery  principles. 

In  1853  a  Ladies'  Antislavery  Society  was 
formed  at  Peru,  of  which  Mrs.  Gibbs  was  made 
president.  During  the  following  two  years,  other 
societies  were  formed  in  Androscoggin,  Cumber- 
land,   Franklin,  Kennebec,  Oxford,  Somerset  and 

231 


232  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

York  counties,  Mrs.  Gibbs  giving  herself  freely  to 
the  work  wherever  called.  She  addressed  meet- 
ings at  Sanford  and  Readfield.  Conventions  were 
held  at  New  Portland,  Milton  and  Peru,  at  all  of 
which  she  presided  and  delivered  addresses. 

July  3,  1854,  delegates  from  these  societies  met 
upon  the  camp-ground  at  East  Livermore  and 
organized  a  state  Antislavery  Society,  of  which 
Esther  Gibbs  was  made  president.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day,  July  4,  through  the  instrumentality  of 
Mrs.  Gibbs,  was  held  one  of  the  most  notable 
gatherings  ever  convened  in  the  groves  of  Maine. 
It  was  the  first  political  meeting  in  the  state  at 
which  a  woman  presided  and  was  its  acknowl- 
edged leader. 

Mrs.  Gibbs  introduced  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe,  who  at  that  time  was  claimed  as  a  Maine 
wom^an,  having  resided  at  Brunswick  long  enough 
to  gain  citizenship.  There  were  present  also  the 
Rev.  D.  B.  Randall,  Prof.  Calvin  Stowe,  Austin 
Willey,  Dr.  Pearson  Peck,  United  States  Senator 
John  P.  Hale  of  New  Hampshire,  a  colored  orator 
named  Gloster,  and  other  leading  abolitionists  of 
that  day.  Many  are  now  living  who  recall  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  occasion  and  the  grace  and 
dignity  of  the  presiding  officer. 

February  22,   1855,  the  Ladies'  Antislavery  So- 


ANTISLAVERY    MOVEMENT  233 

ciety  held  a  great  convention  in  Winthrop  Hall, 
Augusta,  which  was  crowded  to  suffocation.  Mrs. 
Gibbs  was  in  the  chair,  and  introduced  as  speaker, 
Miss  Watkins,  a  colored  woman,  now  famous  as 
Mrs.  Francis  Watkins  Harper,  the  national  super- 
intendent of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance 
Union  work  among  colored  people.  The  notable 
antislavery  men  and  women  of  the  state  were 
present.  The  following  day  Mrs.  Gibbs,  in  behalf 
of  the  Ladies'  Antislavery  Society,  presented  the 
governor  of  the  state,  the  Hon.  Anson  P.  Morrill, 
a  very  large  and  rich  cake. 

The  Ladies'  Antislavery  Society  existed  in  more 
or  less  activity  till  1856,  when  its  special  work  was 
adopted  by  the  leading  political  party  of  the  state. 

It  must  have  been  the  spirit  of  freedom  which 
has  always  actuated  the  Maine  people,  that  in- 
spired Mrs.  Stowe  to  write  that  "  Evangel  of 
Freedom,"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  of  which  Macaulay 
said  :  "  It  is  the  most  important  book  of  Ameri- 
can literature."     Mrs.  Stowe  said  of  the  book  : 

I  could  not  control  this  story,  it  wrote  itself.  The  Lord 
himself  wrote  it.  I  was  but  the  humble  instrument  in  his 
hands. 

The  inspiration  for  the  great  work  came  to  Mrs. 
Stowe  while  seated  at  the  communion  service  in 
the  college  chapel  at  Brunswick. 


234  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Elizabeth  Gordon  Pattee,  born  at  Georgetown, 
Arrowsic  Island,  February  8,  1772,  was  a  woman 
of  unusual  intelligence  and  force  of  character. 
She  came  of  a  long  line  of  illustrious  ancestors. 
The  family  moved  to  Vassalboro,  when  there  were 
neither  schools  nor  churches  there.  Careful  in- 
struction at  home  in  all  the  common  branches  of 
study,  supplemented  by  industrial  training,  fitted 
Elizabeth  for  the  great  work  of  her  life.  At  Unity, 
in  the  midst  of  the  woods,  she  says,  "  I  taught 
school  six  months,  enjoying  the  work,  and  finding 
much  leisure  for  reading."  Her  mind  at  this  time 
was  awakened  religiously,  and  Elizabeth  Pattee 
became  an  ardent  disciple  of  the  Great  Teacher 
and  grew  in  knowledge  and  grace  to  the  end  of 
her  life. 

September  31,  1801,  she  married  Rev.  Daniel 
Lovejoy.  They  made  their  home  in  Albion  on 
the  old  homestead,  bordering  Lovejoy's  Pond. 
The  farm  was  centrally  located  for  the  good 
minister's  work.  He  was  settled  over  three  par- 
ishes, preaching  in  turn  from  Sunda}'^  to  Sunday. 

On  Mrs.  Lovejoy,  devolved  the  care  of  the  home 
and  the  farm.  She  was  a  constant  inspiration  to 
her  husband,  unfolding  to  him  the  hidden  truths 
of  the  Bible  as  she  read  and  pondered  them  in  his 
absence.     She  knew  the  sacred  book  by  heart,  and 


ANTISLAVEKY    MOVEMENT"  235 

brought  up  her  five  sons  and  two  daughters  in 
compHance  with  its  teachings.  Four  of  her  sons 
became  clergymen  and  three  famous  aboHtionists 
when  to  suggest  a  belief  that  slavery  was  wrong 
was  heresy. 

Elijah  Parish  Lovejoy  gave  his  life  for  the  prin- 
ciples of  freedom  taught  him  by  his  mother. 

In  her  advanced  life,  Mrs.  Lovejoy  made  her 
home  in  Princeton,  Illinois,  with  her  son  Owen 
Lovejoy,  who  served  his  country  as  an  antislavery 
leader  in  Congress  during  the  stormy  debates 
before  the  civil  war.  In  his  mother,  he  always 
found  a  wise  counselor  and  deferred  to  her 
judgment. 

The  impression  she  made  upon  the  grandchild- 
ren fortunate  enough  to  remember  her  was 
wonderful,  showing  that  she  retained  her  remark- 
able personality  to  the  last.  It  was  not  the 
slightest  use  for  her  gay  young  brood  to  hide  their 
catechisms,  for  if  she  could  find  no  book,  suspect- 
ing the  state  of  affairs,  she  would  say  mildly: 
"  Never  mind,  children,  I  think  I  remember  all  the 
questions."  Mrs.  Lovejoy  was  slow  to  chide,  tender 
hearted,  full  of  thoughtful  charity  for  all.  Her 
granddaughter,  Caro  Lovejoy  Andrews,  unites 
with  her  many  friends  in  bestowing  upon  her 
to-day  the  beautiful  commendation  of  Scripture  :  — 
"  Her  price  is  far  above  rubies." 


236  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

The  Friends  have  always  been  advocates  of 
reform.  Men  and  women  equally  protested 
against  slavery.  Among  those  of  Portland  who 
were  identified  with  the  antislavery  movement 
were  several  young  women  whose  names  should  be 
written  in  the  annals  of  history :  Emma  and 
Harriet  Dow,  Miriam  and  Ruth  Hussey,  Maria 
and  Phebe  Cobb. 

A  mother  of  Maine  who  "builded  well"  in  the 
superstructure  of  state  was  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wid- 
gery  Thomas,  born  in  New  Gloucester,  1779,  she 
possessed  great  personal  beauty,  a  keen  wit  and  a 
logical  mind  capable  of  comprehending  the  affairs 
of  home  and  of  state.  She  became  the  wife  of 
Elias  Thomas  of  Portland,  September  26,  1802. 
Dr.  Deane  in  his  diary  speaks  of  her  as  "  the 
excellent  mother  of  a  large  family  of  children." 

Mrs.  Thomas  interested  herself  in  private  and 
public  charities.  Her  home,  her  church,  and  her 
state  received  her  first  care  but  she  was  broad 
enough  to  take  in  with  heartfelt  sympathy  all 
humanity.  A  colaborer  with  Garrison,  Pillsbury, 
Phillips  and  all  connected  with  the  great  anti- 
slavery  conflict,  her  home  became  an  important 
station  of  the  underground  railroad  system.  Many 
a  fugitive   slave  did  she   shelter  and  assist  on  the 


ANTISLAVERY    MOVEMENT  237 

way  to  Canada.  From  her  door  in  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  with  money  and  food,  they  went  forth 
to  freedom. 

In  religion  Mrs.  Thomas  was  a  Unitarian.  Her 
creed  was  a  living  one,  which  expressed  itself  in 
food  for  the  hungry  and  clothes  for  the  naked, 
with  a  helping  hand  to  all. 

She  was  a  fearless  woman.  In  the  stormy  anti- 
slavery  discussions  she  was  known  to  take  her 
place  beside  the  speakers,  protecting  them  from 
violence  by  her  presence,  which  even  the  mob 
respected. 

Mrs.  Thomas  had  no  sympathy  with  the 
maudlin  sentimentality  that  good  mothers  ought 
not  to  attend  to  any  work  outside  of  their  homes. 
She  found  time  to  rear  her  large  family,  help  the 
world  and  cultivate  her  mind.  It  was  her  habit 
to  inform  herself  in  current  events  and  practical 
economics.  She  argued  that  women  should  keep 
themselves  in  touch  with  literary  and  business 
affairs.  She  abhorred  laziness.  Her  children  and 
grandchildren  were  all  taught  to  repeat : 

Lose  this  day  loitering, 

'Twill  be  the  same  story  : 
To-morrow,  and  the  next  day 

Only  more  dilatory. 
This  indecision  brings  its  own  delays. 
And  days  are  lost  lamenting  over  days. 


238  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Are  you  in  earnest  ?     Seize  this  very  minute  ; 
What  you  can  do,  or  dream  you  can,  begin  it. 
Boldness  has  genius,  power  and  magic  in  it. 
Only  engage  and  then  the  mind  grows  heated. 
Begin,  and  then  the  work  will  be  completed. 

Elizabeth  Widgery  Thomas  inherited  humor, 
tact  and  daring  from  her  father,  William  Widgery. 
He  was  a  judge  of  the  Common  Pleas  and  was 
elected  to  Congress  in  181 1.  For  his  independent 
position  in  the  war  of  181 2,  he  was  mobbed  at 
Newburyport.  When  a  demand  was  made  for  his 
life,  he  came  forward  and  said  :  "  Gentlemen  ! 
Fire  !  Here  is  old  Widgery 's  head  !  Take  it !  " 
They  were  so  struck  with  awe  at  his  courage  that 
they  did  not  fire,  but  dispersed  without  violence. 

The  descendants  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  have 
filled  places  of  responsibility  in  the  legal  and  medi- 
cal profession  ;  won  distinction  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits, and  have  qften  been  called  to  places  of 
honor  in  the  political  affairs  of  their  native  city. 
All  are  highly  musical.  Their  daughter,  Elizabeth 
Thomas  Varnum,  the  mother  of  twelve  children, 
still  resides  in  Portland,  where  through  her  long 
life,  she  has  been  doing  good  in  quiet  ways. 

Of  Mrs.  Varnum  it  can  be  said  her  life  has  been 
one  continuous  song.  Though  an  octogenarian, 
she  still  finds  pleasure  in  her  piano  recitals.     It  is 


ANTISLAVERY    MOVEMENT  239 

her  habit  to  entertain  her  friends  and  amuse  her- 
self daily  with  the  sweet  "  concord  of  sound  "  that 
only  those  who  are  "  born  to  music  "  can  render. 

Miss  Charlotte  J.  Thomas  exemplifies  her 
mother's  teachings  in  her  fearlessness  for  the 
right.  She  is  fond  of  the  opera  and  the  drama. 
Her  home  is  a  resort  for  all  music-loving  people. 
Her  hospitality  is  unaffected  and  cordial.  As  a 
girl  she  was  in  full  sympathy  with  the  antislavery 
principles  of  her  mother,  and  to-day  advocates 
equal  rights  regardless  of  color  or  sex. 

Miss  Thomas  is  an  optimist.  In  Women's 
Clubs  she  sees  the  evolution  of  women  from  petty 
narrowness  into  broader  and  higher  thought.  It 
would  seem  that  she  herself  has  discovered  the 
fountain  of  perennial  youth, 

Mrs.  Lydia  Neal  Dennett  was  born  at  Eliot  in 
1798.  She  was  educated  in  a  Quaker  home;  mar- 
ried Oliver  Dennett  and  afterward  lived  in  Port- 
land. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dennett  were  amono:  the 
pioneers  of  the  antislavery  movement  in  Portland. 

They  were  personal  friends  of  Garrison,  Parker, 
Phillips,  Douglass,  the  Pillsburys,  and  many  other 
abolitionists  to  whom  their  home  was  always  open. 

On  the  occasion  of  a  lecture  by  the  antislavery 
apostle,  as  he  was  termed,  Stephen  S.  Foster,  when 


240  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

excitement  ran  high  and  mob  violence  forced  him 
through  the  window  of  the  church  in  which  he 
attempted  to  speak,  Mrs.  Dennett  walked  on  one 
side  of  him  and  Mrs.  Elias  Thomas  on  the  other, 
and  succeeded  in  escorting  him  to  a  place  of 
safety,  though  his  coat  was  badly  torn  from  him. 
He  was  taken  to  the  Chase  House  next  door  to 
the  First  Parish  church.  So  violent  had  been  the 
assault  upon  him  he  was  prostrated,  but  afterward 
taken  to  the  home  of  Mrs.  Dennett,  where  he  was 
carefully  nursed  by  his  wife,  Abbey  Kelley  Foster. 

Ellen  Crafts,  the  mulatto  woman,  who  with  her 
colored  husband  was  rescued  from  slavery,  was 
sent  from  Boston  to  Mrs.  Dennett.  Mrs.  Crafts 
found  her  way  from  the  South,  having  her  right 
hand  bandaged  so  that  she  might  not  be  obliged  to 
register  at  the  hotels.  She  passed  off  her  husband 
as  her  servant.  Mrs.  Dennett  secured  their  pas- 
sage on  the  first  steamer  that  ever  sailed  from 
Portland  to  England.  Mrs.  Crafts  became  the 
protege  of  some  of  the  nobility  of  England,  was 
finely  educated  and  after  the  war  returned  to  her 
native  land. 

Mrs.  Dennett's  home  was  on  Spring  Street  not 
far  from  Park.  It  was  a  well-known  station  in  the 
underground  railway  system  that  became  so  effec- 
tive in    assisting   slaves    to  freedom.     They  were 


ANTISLAVERY    MOVEMENT  24I 

sure  of  rest  and  protection  here.  If  search  was 
instituted  for  them  they  were  kept  concealed  until 
the  excitement  was  over,  and  on  some  dark  and 
stormy  night  started  on  their  way  with  ample  pro- 
vision for  their  journey.  A  closed  carriage  with  a 
fine  pair  of  horses  was  kept  by  the  antislavery 
society  for  this  purpose. 

Mrs.  Dennett  was  left  a  widow  in  1852.  She 
continued  her  interest  in  philanthropy  and  all 
forms  of  advance  for  women.     She  died  in    1881. 

In  appearance  Mrs.  Dennett  was  a  stately 
woman.  She  was  remarkable  as  a  conversation- 
alist;  expressed  herself  clearly;  argued  eloquently; 
was  the  equal  of  men  and  women  of  mark.  She 
was  a  fine  story-teller,  and  possessed  an  un- 
conscious power  of  personation  that  made  her  a 
rare  entertainer.  Whittier  was  among  her  per- 
sonal friends. 


16 


MOTHERS  IN  ISRAEL 


XIX 
MOTHERS  IN  ISRAEL 


To  see  her  is  to  love  her. 


Burns. 


T^HE  Maine  women  were  deeply  versed  in  the 
1  ^  Bible.  They  taught  it  to  their  children  and 
gave  it  to  their  sons  on  leaving  home,  as  the  Spar- 
tan mother  gave  the  shield  —  "  With  it  my  son." 
John  S.  C.  Abbott  relates  that  it  was  the  presenta- 
tion of  a  Bible  by  his  mother  as  he  was  leaving 
home,  that  led  him  to  become  a  student  of  the 
sacred  volume. 

Mrs.  Nancy  Nichols  was  a  conspicuous  figure  in 
the  early  history  of  Monmouth.  She  came  from 
New  Hampshire,  accompanying  her  husband  all 
the  way  on  horseback,  as  so  many  of  the  pioneer 
women  delighted  to  do.  She  adopted  the  relig- 
ious  views  of  Jesse   Lee,  who  visited   Maine  as  a 

245 


246  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

missionary  in  1793.  She  joined  the  first  Metho- 
dist class  formed  in  Monmouth,  and  for  twenty 
years  was  its  leader,  walking  circumspectly  before 
her  little  flock,  who  learned  from  her  example  that 
Christianity  is  essentially  life  —  the  living  life  of 
consecrated  men  and  women.  She  was  the 
mother  of  thirteen  children,  and  lived  to  oe  ninety- 
three  years  old.  Among  her  many  descendants 
are  John  Palmer  and  M.  G.  Palmer,  well-known 
business  men  of  Portland.  Her  daughter.  Miss 
Irene  Nichols,  was  the  heroine  of  the  romance, 
"  The  Kennebec  Factory  Girl  in  the  Hall  of  the 
Montezumas." 

Early  in  the  century  some  German  capitalists 
came  to  Mexico,  to  engage  in  the  business  of  rais- 
ing cotton  and  manufacturing  it  into  cloth.  They 
brought  their  machinery  with  them,  but  sought 
among  the  intelligent  operatives  of  New  England 
factories  for  teachers  to  instruct  the  native  peons. 
Irene  Nichols  went  to  Mexico  in  the  service  of  this 
company.  She  is  described  as  a  girl  of  fine  phy- 
sique, superior  intelligence,  fearless  and  level- 
headed. Among  the  company  was  a  young  Ger- 
man bookkeeper,  very  proud  of  his  ancient  family 
name,  Houschild.  He  soon  became  interested  in 
this  Maine  girl,  as  she  unhesitatingly  and  in  a  true 
womanly  manner  performed  her  duties  at  the  mill. 


MOTHERS    IN    ISRAEL  247 

In  the  darkest  night  and  the  bright  daylight, 

In  earth  and  sea  and  sky, 
In  every  home  of  human  thought 

Will  love  be  lurking  nigh, 

Willis. 

Young  Houschild  was  finally  accepted  as  the 
lover  of  Irene  Nichols,  but  to  their  great  disap- 
pointment they  learned  that  the  marriage  cere- 
mony could  not  be  solemnized  in  the  land  unless 
the  parties  embraced  the  Catholic  religion.  In 
this  dilemma  Irene  Nichols  announced  her  pur- 
pose to  visit  her  home  in  Monmouth,  having  been 
absent  several  years. 

Her  affianced  husband,  with  a  mounted  guard, 
escorted  her  a  distance  of  seven  hundred  miles  to 
Vera  Cruz,  placing  her  on  board  a  vessel,  gener- 
ously feeing  the  officer  to  whose  care  he  consigned 
her. 

Few  young  ladies  to-day  would,  perhaps,  have 
undertaken  a  journey  under  such  circumstances. 
But  Irene  Nichols  had  plans  that  she  did  not  un- 
fold. How  honorably  to  marry  the  man  of  her 
choice  was  the  one  problem  over  which  she 
brooded.  That  was  not  the  day  of  telegraphs  or 
telephones,  but  she  had  plans  of  a  marriage  by 
proxy,  and  left  no  stone  unturned  to  effect  it. 
After  visiting   her  friends  at  home   she   went   to 


248  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Philadelphia.  Having  thoroughly  studied  the 
question,  and  having  had  all  the  necessary  papers 
made  out  for  the  marriage,  accompanied  by  a 
friend  who  stood  as  a  representative  of  her  in- 
tended husband,  she  went  to  the  altar  and  regis- 
tered her  marriage  vows.  She  then  took  her 
bridal  trip  alone  to  Vera  Cruz,  where  she  was  met 
by  her  husband,  and  escorted  in  triumph  to  her 
home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Houschild  spent  many  happy 
years  in  Mexico.  Three  beautiful  daughters  came 
to  gladden  their  home.  The  family  subsequently 
moved  to  New  Jersey,  where  Mrs.  Houschild,  an 
octogenarian,  still  resides. 

Mrs.  Nancy  Woodward  Caldwell  is  remembered 
to-day  for  her  consistent  Christian  character.  Her 
grandchildren  have  published  to  her  memory  a 
tribute  of  love  in  the  little  volume  entitled,  "  Walk- 
ing with  God."  Her  parents  were  pioneers  of  the 
Maine  wilderness.  She  married  William  Caldwell 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  for  sixty-three  years 
they  lived  their  peaceful  lives  in  the  town  of 
Oxford. 

Her  struggle  with  herself  in  erecting  her  family 
altar;  the  happy  cooperation  of  her  husband  ;  the 
lighting  of  the  sacred  fire  that  never  went    out  in 


MOTHERS    IN    ISRAEL  249 

their  home,   is   all   simply  told   by  herself  in  her 
diary  kept  through  many  years. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Caldwell 
made  her  home  with  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Clark  of 
Portland,  where  she  lingered  only  a  few  years. 
During  her  last  sickness,  when  asked  by  Doctor 
Clark  if  her  sufferings  were  mental,  she  replied, 
"  Oh,  no!  not  a  doubt  or  a  fear.  I  have  not  served 
God  seventy  years  to  have  Him  forsake  me  at  the 
last." 

Anna  Leland  Adams  of  Bangor  was  one  of  the 
"  Mothers  in  Israel  "  who  greatly  aided  in  building 
up  the  Congregational  church.  Hers  was  a  quiet, 
pure  life,  best  known  within  the  limits  of  her 
home,  but  whose  Christian  example  was  a  blessing 
to  the  community  in  which  she  lived.  She  had  a 
sweet  voice,  and  was  much  loved  by  the  circle  of 
friends  who  gathered  about  her  as  she  led  them  in 
song. 

Mrs.  Thomas  Bartlette  was  one  of  the  leaders  in 
the  early  church  history  of  Bangor.  She  had  set 
apart  for  the  social  prayer-meeting  one  of  the 
rooms  of  her  house,  which  stood  where  the  First 
National  Bank  now  stands  on  Exchange  Street. 
When    the  red-coated    officers  searched  her  house 


250  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

for  concealed  arms,  she  had  fastened  the  door  of 
this  room  as  a  place  too  sacred  for  the  ravages  of 
the  plundering  soldiers.  But  as  she  obeyed  the 
command  to  open  it  she  said  :  "  You  will  find  here 
an  old  Bible,  a  few  hymn  books,  and  the  sword  of 
the  Spirit." 

Mrs.  Coombs  of  Bangor  is  held  in  loving  re- 
membrance for  her  many  Christian  virtues.  She 
felt  a  personal  responsibility  for  the  Christian  de- 
velopment of  the  young  women  of  the  community. 
With  the  aid  of  her  sister,  known  as  Aunt  Sarah 
Harrod,  she  was  wont  to  gather  the  girls  into  a 
mission  school.  She  cut  and  prepared  the  gar- 
ments and  led  them  through  the  intricacies  of 
over-and-over,  back  stitching,  felling  and  gathering. 
She  instructed  them  to  take  great  care  in  putting 
the  needle  in,  but  to  pull  it  out  quickly.  Her 
pupils  recall  that  she  taught  them  to  save  four 
stitches  in  putting  in  a  gusset.  'T  is  said  of  these 
two  sisters :  "  They  grew  handsome  as  they  grew 
old." 

Dorcas  Lord,  mother  of  General  Hodsden,  was 
an  eminently  pious  woman,  and  her  long  life  was 
full  of  good  deeds. 


MOTHERS    IN    ISRAEL  25  I 

The  grateful  children  of  Mrs.  Eliza  Otis 
Howard  Gilmore  have  compiled  to  her  memory  a 
pamphlet,  "  Our  Mother."  The  Rev.  Roland  B. 
Howard  and  General  Oliver  O.  Howard  are 
among  her  honored  sons.  Of  how  many  mothers, 
as  of  her,  can  it  be  said  : 

As  to  the  sacred  and  persistent  heroism  of  her  life,  her  sons 
and  daughters,  whom  she  reared  and  trained  and  imbued  with 
her  own  spirit,  are  her  witnesses. 

In  the  bitterly  cold  month  of  January,  1804,  ^ 
pioneer  family  consisting  of  father,  mother  and 
seventeen  children,  took  the  wearisome  journey 
from  Raymond,  New  Hampshire,  to  Cornville, 
Maine.  Their  principal  means  of  transportation 
were  sleds  drawn  by  oxen,  and  hand-sleds,  which 
could  be  used  to  much  better  advantage  at  this 
season  of  the  year.  We  have  no  record  of  the 
long  weary  days  and  nights  this  shelterless,  fearless 
family  toiled  on,  neither  can  we  imagine  how  it 
was  possible  for  Ruth  and  Samuel  Fogg  to  care 
for  the  family  during  the  journey.  Sixteen  of 
these  children  lived  to  be  heads  of  families,  the 
eight  sons  attaining  to  an  average  age  of  sixty-six 
and  one-half  years,  the  eight  daughters  to  seventy 
and  one-half  years. 

The  baby  of  the  household,  Nancy  Fogg,   was 


252  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

four  years  old  when  the  family  settled  in  Cornville. 
In  1828  she  married  Benjamin  McDaniels  who 
died  in  1878.  Left  a  widow  and  bereaved  of  a 
much-loved  son,  at  the  age  of  eighty,  Nancy 
McDaniels  kissed  the  rod  and,  like  Deborah, 
sung  praise  to  the  Lord  the  God  of  Israel.  She 
was  truly  a  "  mother  in  Israel,"  loved  in  the 
community  by  those  who  knew  her  best  for  her 
Christian  faith  exemplified  in  noble  deeds. 

Her  daughter,  Mrs.  John  E.  Palmer  of  Portland, 
is  well  known  as  state  regent  of  the  Daughters 
of  the  Revolution. 

At  Maplewood  farm  in  Strong,  one  may  hear 
to-day  the  simple  story  of  the  life  of  Eleanor 
Fossett,  who  married  David  Hunter,  in  Bristol,  in 
1796,  and  accompanied  him  through  the  wilder- 
ness to  their  future  home.  Here  for  more  than 
three-quarters  of  a  century  they  together  wrought 
out  the  great  problem  of  living. 

Mrs.  Hunter  when  young  was  very  handsome 
and  had  been  well  educated.  It  was  the  writer's 
privilege  to  visit  the  aged  couple  when  both  were 
nearing  the  century  line.  Mrs.  Hunter's  voice 
was  still  musical  and  her  eye  had  lost  none  of  its 
brightness.  There  was  a  merry  twinkle  in  it  as 
she  assured  her  guests  in  an  undertone  that  her 


MOTHERS    IN    ISRAEL  253 

husband  was  getting  a  little  forgetful,  for  he  had 
hinted,  that  his  wife  was  older  than  he.  He 
died  at  ninety-eight  years  of  age.  She  outlived 
him  a  few  years,  attaining  to  nearly  the  same  age. 
She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  and  beside 
these  she  received  to  her  home  two  girls  and  two 
boys  to  whom  she  was  as  mother.  On  her  wed- 
ding-day her  father  presented  her  with  a  horse  and 
saddle,  on  which  she  rode  to  Strong.  This  town- 
ship had  been  previously  settled  by  William  Reed. 
There  were  living  within  its  limits  about  a  dozen 
families  when  the  three  brothers,  John,  James  and 
David  Hunter  made  their  homes  there. 

When  David  Hunter  first  came  to  Strong  the 
prospect  before  him  was  rather  discouraging.  He 
sighed  : 

Oh  !  for  the  breath  of  the  salt  sea  air 
And  a  glimpse  of  the  ocean  blue. 

It  is  said  he  would  have  returned  to  his  friends 
on  the  coast,  had  it  not  been  for  the  perseverance 
and  courage  of  his  wife. 

This  seems  remarkable  when  we  recall  that  she 
had  left  a  luxurious  home,  and  that  her  sisters  had 
all  married  sea  captains,  whom  they  accompanied 
on  foreign  voyages,  and  that  their  homes  were  in 
striking  contrast  with  her  humble  cabin.  But 
Eleanor    Fossett  Hunter  had  within  herself  what 


254  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

was  of  far  more  worth  than  wealth  and  all  its  atten- 
dant advantages  ;  she  had  health,  a  brave  heart  and 
a  love  for  independence. 

Mrs.  Hunter's  horse  was  made  to  do  good  ser- 
vice. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunter  often  rode  many 
miles  to  attend  religious  service.  It  was  their 
custom  to  make  an  annual  visit,  on  horseback, 
to  Bristol.  From  these  visits  Mrs.  Hunter  usu- 
ally returned  laden  with  rich  stores,  which  her 
sisters  had  brought  from  foreign  lands. 

Mrs.  Hunter  was  very  fond  of  company.  She 
often  made  parties,  her  guests  coming  from  far 
and  near.  She  was  a  provident  hostess  and  her 
table,  decorated  with  rare  old  blue  china,  imported 
by  her  friends,  was  made  very  attractive  with  its 
roast  pig,  roast  goose  and  "fixings."  Her 
daughter  Sally  McCleary,  now  past  eighty  years, 
says,  "  my  mother  knew  how  to  make  her  girls 
work."  Her  niece  speaks  of  her  as  "a  smart, 
proud-spirited  old  lady."  She  was  familiarly 
known  as  Aunt  Nelly. 

Travelers  found  a  resting-place  at  the  Hunter 
home,  and  ministers  were  always  welcomed  to  their 
open  door.  The  Congregational  church  of  Strong 
was  organized  at  their  home,  and  was  an  object  of 
their  love  and  care.  It  can  be  truly  said  of  this 
venerable  couple  that  they  did  justly,  loved  mercy 


MOTHERS    IN    ISRAEL  255 

and  walked  humbly  before  their  God.  Their 
many  descendants  are  known  for  their  lives  of  vir- 
tue  and  temperance. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunter  were  very  friendly  with 
the  Indians.  The  state  had  reserved  a  lot  in  the 
town  for  Pierpole.  He  was  often  visited  by  his 
friends  who  found  shelter  and  food  on  their  way  at 
the  Hunter  home.  Hannah  Susup,  the  wife  of 
Pierpole,  though  distrustful  of  the  English,  had 
great  respect  for  Mrs.  Hunter.  One  of  Hannah's 
guests  had  displayed  a  very  beautiful  shawl. 
Hannah  at  once  recognized  it  as  Mrs.  Hunter's. 
She  knew  its  bright  colors  had  proved  too  great  a 
temptation  for  the  gay-loving  squaw.  She  imme- 
diately took  it  away  from  her. 

In  the  meantime  Mrs.  Hunter  had  missed  her 
shawl  and  searched  her  house  in  vain  for  it.  She 
valued  it  much  as  a  gift  from  her  sister.  She  was 
pleased  to  receive  it  again  from  the  hands  of  her 
faithful  friend,  Hannah  Susup. 

Mrs.  Julia  Eastman  Stubbs  was  the  daughter  of 
Jane  Hiscock  and  Samuel  Eastman.  She  was 
born  in  Strong,  in  the  early  part  of  the  present 
century,  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children.  Miss 
Eastman  married  Philip  M.  Stubbs,  August  i, 
1834.  Her  husband  was  a  lawyer,  a  man  of  influ- 
ence in  the  community. 


256  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Mrs.  Stubbs  was  of  commanding  presence,  tall, 
dignified,  proud-spirited,  but  gentle  and  sympa- 
thetic.  Her  hair  was  always  plain,  almost  severe, 
in  its  smoothness.  She  wore  the  surplice  waist 
with  white  illusion  arranged  about  the  neck  and 
throat,  which  gave  a  refined  softness  to  her  whole 
attire.  To  her  small  white  headdress,  in  later  years, 
she  added  a  touch  of  lavender. 

Mrs.  Stubbs  endeared  herself  to  young  and  old. 
In  her  home  she  was  queen,  but  her  scepter  was 
love.  She  was  a  fine  conversationalist,  her  words 
and  manner  being  always  the  reflection  of  her  own 
affectionate  nature.  The  portrait  of  "  Ma  chere 
mere,"  drawn  by  Fredrika  Bremer  in  "  The  Neigh- 
bors," is,  to  one  of  her  nephews,  a  striking  likeness 
of  Aunt  Stubbs. 

She  died  in  1894,  surviving  her  husband  but  a 
few  years. 

Elias  and  Deborah  Barrows  Nelson  came  from 
Middleboro,  Massachusetts,  and  settled  in  Win- 
throp.  They  were  both  of  sturdy  Pilgrim  par- 
entage and  were  religiously  educated  according 
to  the  custom  of  the  times.  Their  daughter  Deb- 
orah, was  born  in  Winthrop.  In  1820,  she  mar- 
ried Leonard  Norcross.  Of  her  nine  children,  her 
three  daughters  became  successful  teachers.     Two 


MOTHERS    IN    ISRAEL  ^57 

of  her  sons  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church. 

Her  husband  Leonard  Norcross,  was  a  skilful 
mechanic  and  devised  many  useful  articles,  several 
of  which  were  patented.  His  submarine  dress, 
now  extensively  used  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  was 
his  chief  invention.  During  his  last  years  he 
devoted  himself  to  missionary  work. 

Mrs.  Norcross  was  a  woman  of  great  force  of 
character.  She  loved  virtue  and  truth,  and  hated 
most  intensely  all  immorality  and  deception.  She 
was  self-reliant,  of  keen  insight  and  good  judg- 
ment. In  the  vicissitudes  of  life  she  never  grew 
impatient  or  uncharitable,  more  anxious  apparently 
at  all  times  to  promote  the  happiness  of  others 
than  to  seek  her  own  gratification.  She  was 
faithful  in  every  relation  of  life  as  daughter,  wife, 
mother  and  friend.  Perhaps  her  best  encomium  is 
the  integrity  and  high  moral  character  of  the 
children  she  reared.  The  last  years  of  her  life 
were  passed  at  the  home  of  her  son  Rev.  Flavius 
V.  Norcross  of  Union. 

Her  death  was  a  fitting  close  to  her  beautiful 
life,  as  her  spirit  winged  its  flight,  those  who 
watched  by  her  bedside  heard  the  testimony  so 
often  borne  by  dying  saints.  "  I  have  not  trusted 
my  Savior  so  long,  to  have   Him  forsake  me  now." 


258  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

The  many  friends  of  Mrs.  Isabel  Shapleigh 
Tobey  Knowlton,  cherish  her  name  as  a  sweet 
memory  to-day.  She  is  spoken  of  in  the  commu- 
nity and  by  those  who  knew  her,  as  one  of  the 
sweet  singers  of  Israel;  a  woman  who  for  the  last 
twenty  years  of  her  life  lived  in  serene  composure 
of  mind,  unruffled  by  anger  or  malice. 

Isabel  Tobey  was  born  in  Eliot,  where 
her  ancestors  for  seven  generations  had  lived. 
Her  father  was  a  ship  carpenter  and  assisted  in 
building  vessels  at  Portsmouth.  The  care  of  the 
small  farm  devolved  upon  his  wife. 

In  the  family  of  eight  children,  Isabel  was  one 
of  the  oldest,  and  was  early  trained  to  out-of-door 
work.  With  the  aid  of  her  sisters  she  cultivated 
the  garden  and  raised  the  flax  from  which  the 
household  linen  was  made.  The  girls  also  tended 
and  cared  for  the  sheep.  Maine  has  had  many  a 
lovely  shepherdess  unchronicled  in  song.  All  of 
the  linen  and  clothing  of  the  family  were  manu- 
factured from  the  raw  material  at  home.  It  was 
the  pride  of  the  mother,  that  her  daughter's  wed- 
ding outfit  should  be  largely  the  product  of  her 
own  hands. 

Living  on  the  banks  of  the  Piscataqua,  Isabel 
Knowlton  paddled  her  own  canoe.  The  young 
ladies  often  took    the    products  of  their  garden  to 


MOTHERS    IN    ISRAEL  259 

the  commercial  towns  down  the  river.  The  girls 
were  also  well  disciplined  in  all  the  domestic  arts. 
The  cooking  for  the  family  was  done  over  the  fire 
and  in  the  brick  oven.  Cook-stoves  were  unknown. 
The  Thanksgiving  turkey  and  sparerib  were 
baked  and  browned  in  a  tin  kitchen  before  the 
open  fire,  and  the  young  lady  who  did  not  turn 
the  spit  at  the  right  moment  was  unfortunate. 

Notwithstanding  the  discomforts  of  sitting 
through  two  preaching  services  in  a  big,  bare 
meeting-house  without  any  means  of  heating,  in 
the  howling  blasts  of  winter,  the  children  were 
taken  there  and  regularly  disciplined  to  endure  the 
Sunday  worship.  In  this  case  it  may  be  ques- 
tioned if  "  the  winds  were  tempered  to  the  shorn 
lambs." 

Isabel  was  married  to  James  Knowlton,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  182 1.  She  was  the  mother  of  nine 
children.  Upon  the  death  of  her  oldest  daughter 
she  took  to  her  home  and  heart  the  orphaned 
babe  and  tenderly  reared  it  to  womanhood. 

Mrs.  Knowlton  united  with  the  Methodist 
church,  of  which  her  husband  was  a  member,  and 
greatly  endeared  herself  to  all  with  whom  she  wor- 
shiped. She  had  the  gift  of  song  as  had  her 
mother  before  her.  After  her  husband's  death,  in 
1880,  she  made  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 


260  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Lucy  J.  Frost,  of  Eliot.  In  January,  1895,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-five  years,  she  ceased  her  earthly 
singing,  and  the  sweet  voice  that  had  been  heard 
nearly  half  a  century  in  the  village  choir  went 
singing  through  the  gates  of  paradise. 

For  thirty  years,  from  1820  to  1850,  Phebe 
Jacobs,  a  colored  woman,  was  a  familiar  figure  in 
Brunswick.  She  was  born  in  slavery  in  1785,  but 
when  a  child,  was  given  to  Mrs.  Wheelock,  the 
wife  of  the  president  of  Dartmouth  College,  to  be 
an  attendant  of  her  daughter,  Maria,  who  married 
President  Allen  of  Bowdoin  College,  Phebe 
came  to  Brunswick  with  them  and  remained  in  the 
family  until  Mrs.  Allen's  death.  She  then  lived  in 
a  small  house  near  the  college,  where  she  sup- 
ported herself  by  washing  and  ironing  for  the 
students. 

Phebe  was  a  devout  woman  and  greatly  re- 
spected for  her  piety,  which  was  deep,  fervent  and 
practical.  To  her  Christ  was  a  living  presence 
and  she  walked  softly  before  Him.  She  was  so 
filled  with   His  spirit  that  its  radiance  was  felt  by  ^^ 

those  who  entered  into  her  inner  life.  One  could 
not  pass  her  upon  the  street,  visit  in  her  home,  or 
sit  beside  her  in  the  house  of  God,  without  the 
consciousness    of    the    divine    presence.       Phebe 


MOTHERS    IN    ISRAEL  261 

drank  deep  at  the  fountain  of  truth.  Her  Bible 
was  her  constant  companion,  and  morning,  noon 
and  night  she  entered  her  closet,  shut  the  door 
and  talked  with  God. 

Phebe  loved  the  house  of  God.  It  was  the  very 
gate  of  heaven  to  her  waiting  soul.  She  would  no 
more  have  thought  of  excusing  herself  from  its 
services,  which  were  food  to  her  hungry  spirit, 
than  she  would  of  neglecting  to  supply  her  physi- 
cal wants.  Phebe  hungered  and  thirsted  after 
righteousness.  When  in  her  failing  health  she 
was  too  feeble  to  walk  to  church,  she  was  taken 
there  and  remained  during  the  intermission.  This 
was  a  happy  hour  to  her.  Many  of  her  friends 
came  before  the  time  for  service  that  they  might 
enjoy  a  little  visit  with  the  saintly  Phebe. 

Says   Mrs.   Upham  in  her  "  Narrative  of  Phebe 
Ann  Jacobs  :  " 

The  wife  of  the  pastor,  Rev.  Dr.  Adams,  died  the  same 
night  with  Phebe,  and  perhaps  at  the  same  hour  of  the  night. 
We  may  think  of  them  as  ascending  together  to  the  mansions 
of  the  blessed. 

To  die  with  Phebe  was  a  privilege ;  and  the  pastor  remarked 
on  this  occasion  that  if  his  wife  had  been  permitted  to  choose 
a  companion  to  accompany  her  "  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death,"  and  into  the  open  portals  of  heaven,  she 
would  have  chosen  Phebe. 

She  was  heard  to  say:     "I  am  perfectly  happy;  Christ  is 


262  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

sufficient  for  all  my  necessities ;  I  never  supposed  I  could 
enjoy  so  much  ;  there  is  no  one  on  earth  I  would  exchange 
places  with  but  Phebe." 

At  the  funeral  of  Phebe  there  was  no  relative,  no  kindred  of 
the  flesh.  Those  following  nearest  her  remains  were  President 
Allen  and  daughter  who,  informed  by  telegraph,  had  come 
nearly  two  hundred  miles  to  testify  their  respect  and  affection 
for  the  deceased. 

Her  remains  were  borne  out  from  the  church  and  accom- 
panied to  the  grave  by  officers  of  the  college  and  others  who 
might  have  been  chosen  for  this  purpose  had  the  most 
honored  and  most  beloved  among  us  fallen.  A  long  proces- 
sion followed  her  remains  and  gathered  around  her  grave. 


HOMEKEEPERS 


XX 

HOMEKEEPERS 

The  Lord  cannot  be  everywhere,  so  He  made  Mothers 

Jewish   Rabbi. 

THERE  are  no  truer  pen-pictures  of  the  home 
life  of  western  Maine  one  hundred  years 
ago  than  are  found  in  the  letters  of  Eliza  South- 
gate  Bourne.  Mrs.  Eliza  Southgate,  the  wife  of 
Doctor  Southgate,  of  Scarboro,  was  a  worthy 
Maine  mother. 


Mrs.  Sally  Procter  Burr  came  from  Salem  to 
Brewer  a  bride.  She  was  a  cultured,  dainty  little 
woman,  having  been  tenderly  reared  in  a  city 
home.  To  her  the  banks  of  the  Penobscot  were 
"woodsy,  wild  and  lonesome."  She  could  not 
adapt  herself  to  the  privations  of  her  new  life. 
After  weeks  of  utter  homesickness,  in  which  she 
wept  continually,  her  husband  consented  that  she 
might  return   to  Salem.     He  put  her  upon  a  small 

265 


266  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

vessel,  and  after  a  wearisome  voyage  of  three 
weeks  she  reached  her  native  city.  But,  alas !  it 
was  not  the  Salem  of  her  girlhood. 

Again  she  was  homesick,  and  found  no  content 
until  she  decided  to  return  to  Brewer.  Her  new 
home  on  the  banks  of  the  Penobscot  was  trans- 
formed into  the  most  attractive  spot  on  earth  to 
her,  from  which  she  never  again  desired  to  journey. 

To  the  Burr  home  there  came  eleven  children. 
Mrs.  Burr  taught  her  girls,  while  yet  young,  the 
ways  of  the  household.  They  all  became  famous 
housekeepers,  but  the  mother  herself  had  very  lit- 
tle love  for  domestic  service.  She  was  fond  of 
embroidery,  delicate  needlework  and  reading. 

Left  alone  with  her  children  when  the  British 
ascended  the  Penobscot  River  in  1814,  she 
watched  the  devastations  of  the  soldiers  on  the 
opposite  shore,  expecting  her  home  to  suffer  a  sim- 
ilar fate.  Mrs.  Burr  was  a  plucky  little  woman, 
and  did  not  purpose  to  yield  up  her  household 
stores  to  feed  the  plundering  crew  without  resist- 
ance. She  concealed  her  pans  of  milk,  her  cheeses 
and  other  articles  of  food  under  the  floor  of  the 
chamber. 

When  the  black  ships  were  seen  to  leave  the 
harbor,  she  proposed  to  the  girls  that  they  cele- 
brate the  event  with  a  spread,  making  for  the  occa- 


HOMEKEEPERS  Tfyj 

sion  delicate  biscuit  out  of  the  cream  so  cleverly 
saved.  The  daughter  who  prepared  the  dough 
was  so  excited  and  alarmed,  fearing  the  ships  might 
return,  that  though  "she  put  therein  great  lumps 
of  fat  as  big  as  my  two  hands,"  she  did  not  stop 
to  mould  the  biscuit,  but  baked  it  in  one  piece, 
making  a  cake  which  Mrs.  Burr  split  and  buttered. 
It  was  served  with  a  cream  sauce.  The  dish  is 
famous  in  the  Burr  family  to-day,  and  is  styled  the 
British  shortcake. 

Tea  was  a  luxury  that  many  of  the  early  settlers 
were  obliged  to  forego,  but  Mrs.  Burr  always  man- 
aged to  serve  herself  a  cup  in  the  buttery  after  the 
family  meal. 

She  outlived  her  husband,  and  was  constantly  an 
object-lesson  to  her  grandchildren  in  the  dainti- 
ness of  her  attire.  It  was  her  custom  to  wear 
black  silk  mitts  even  at  the  table.  Her  grand- 
daughter, Mrs.  A.  B.  C.  Keene,  is  well  known 
through  her  class  work  in  connection  with 
women's  clubs  in  Bangor  and  Deering. 

Charlotte  Knight  Boothby,  the  grandmother  of 
the  genial  General  Passenger  Agent  of  the  Maine 
Central  Railroad,  was  born  in  Falmouth,  July  ii, 
1796.  As  a  child  she  had  superior  educational 
advantages.     She  imbibed  culture  with  her  native 


268  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

air.  Her  sunny  disposition  made  her  a  favorite 
with  her  associates. 

Left  an  orphan  in  her  girlhood,  she  engaged  in 
teaching,  at  the  same  time  caring  for  a  younger 
sister.  She  continued  to  teach  in  Bath  until  her 
marriage  to  Ichabod  Boothby,  of  Saco,  April  2, 
1817. 

In  her  little  home,  with  its  one  room,  eighteen 
by  twenty,  which  served  for  kitchen,  storehouse, 
dining-room,  parlor  and  bedroom,  Charlotte  Knight 
Boothby  worked  out  the  economic  problems  of  her 
day. 

She  was  the  mother  of  five  children.  One  of 
her  sons  recalls  to-day  the  busy  scenes  of  his  child- 
hood home  —  the  big  brick  oven,  with  its  savory 
contents,  the  huge  fireplace,  before  which  hung 
the  suspended  goose  or  sparerib,  the  dripping-pan, 
and  the  apples  sputtering  in  a  row,  and  every- 
where his  mother,  the  sweet  presiding  genius.  It 
is  a  happy  home  where  boys  love  to  congregate. 

Mrs.  Boothby  was  "Aunt  Charlotte "  to  every 
boy  of  the  neighborhood,  many  of  whom  remem- 
ber the  delicious  flavor  of  her  gingerbread  to 
this  day. 

She  was  loved  alike  by  young  and  old.  En- 
dowed with  rare  social  powers,  she  never  lacked 
for  interesting  and    helpful  matters   for   conversa- 


IHOMEKEEPERS  269 

tion.  She  was  gifted  also  in  song.  During  her 
short  life  of  fifty-two  years  she  drew  about  her  a 
charmed  circle  of  friends,  who  lovingly  cherish  her 
memory. 

Patty  Barrett  was  born  in  Chelmsford,  Massa- 
chusetts, January  31,  1740.  She  married  Benjamin 
Spaulding,  November  29,  1764.  Her  husband  was 
one  of  the  famous  minute  men  of  Massachusetts. 
He  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Bun- 
ker Hill.  Having  become  involved  in  a  business 
failure,  as  an  endorser  for  his  brother,  his  entire 
property,  which  was  considered  a  competency,  was 
lost.  He  resolved  to  regain  his  fortune  in  the 
woods  of  Maine.  He  was  the  first  settler  of  the 
town  of  Buckfield.  After  spending  a  winter  and 
part  of  the  summer,  he  founded  a  home  in  the 
woods,  to  which  he  moved  his  family  in  1778. 
They  came  in  the  cold  of  winter  and  must  have 
suffered  many  deprivations.  The  nearest  mill  was 
in  New  Gloucester,  forty  miles  away,  where  all  the 
corn  had  to  be  taken  for  grinding.  We  may  be 
very  sure  that  Mother  Spaulding  made  many  a 
cake  from  corn  she  had  pounded  in  an  improvised 
mortar.  When  all  other  food  supplies  failed  the 
mothers  boiled  greens,  made  ivory  tea  and  served 
them  with  a  smile. 


2/0  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Squire  Buck  came  with  his  family  to  live  in  the 
town  the  same  year  with  the  Spauldings.  His 
clearing  was  three  miles  distant.  The  two  women 
soon  had  their  blazed  paths  through  the  woods 
and  along  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  often  "  ran 
in "  to  each  others'  homes  after  the  labors  of  the 
day  were  over.  The  distances,  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  the  density  of  the  forest,  and  the  prowl- 
ing animals,  were  no  obstacles  to  their  social 
intercourse.  Goodwife  Buck  was  famous  for  the 
excellent  beer  she  concocted  from  the  herbs  of  the 
forest. 

One  of  the  granddaughters  of  Patty  Spaulding, 
who  in  childhood  lived  with  her  grandmother, 
bears  testimony  to-day  of  the  high  integrity  and 
fortitude  of  this  pioneer  woman.  She  was  gener- 
ous to  a  fault,  a  failing  she  shared  equally  with  her 
husband.  Their  home  became  the  asylum  for  the 
poor  and  needy  of  the  vicinity.  The  grand- 
daughter declares  that  it  was  not  unusual  for  the 
applicant  to  their  bounty  to  take  home  with  him  a 
hundred  weight  of  corn  and  half  a  cheese.  Patty 
Barrett  Spaulding  died  in  Buckfield,  October  4, 
18 19.  All  of  her  nine  children  lived  to  manhood 
and  womanhood,  and  the  many  descendants  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Spaulding  to-day,  reflect  credit  upon 
their  worthy  ancestors. 


HOMEKEEPERS  2/1 

Lydia  Ann  Chase  was  born  and  educated  in 
Limington.  One  who  recalls  her  early  woman- 
hood says :  "  I  do  not  remember  to  have  ever 
looked  upon  a  handsomer  girl;"  her  hair  of  a  deep, 
rich  brown  was  always  tastefully  arranged,  greatly 
enhancing  the  beauty  of  her  fair  complexion. 
She  was  a  fine  scholar  and  had  the  happy  faculty 
of  imparting  her  knowledge  to  others.  She  had  a 
cheerful  disposition  and  fulfilled  Florence  Night- 
ingale's directions  to  her  nurses,  "  Bring  sunshine 
to  the  sick  room  when  you  enter." 

She  married  Blossom  Stockin.  They  made  their 
home  in  North  Yarmouth.  Mrs.  Stockin  perpet- 
uated the  name  of  her  father,  Abner  Chase,  in 
that  of  her  only  child.  She  is  remembered  to-day 
for  her  many  deeds  of  mercy,  and  for  her  tender 
sympathy  with  the  sick  and  afflicted.  "  She  went 
about  doing  good." 

Dolly  Hacket  Beedy  came  from  Sandwich,  New 
Hampshire,  with  her  family  to  Industry.  They 
had  been  in  prosperous  circumstances  in  New 
Hampshire,  but  on  account  of  reverses  in  business 
Daniel  Beedy  was  obliged  to  try  his  fortune  in  the 
woods  of  Maine.  Here  they  reared  a  large  family 
and  lived  the  peaceful  life  of  a  Quaker  household. 
Dolly  Hacket  Beedy  attained  to  the  age  of  ninety- 


2/2  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

three  years.  An  elderly  lady  who  knew  her  well 
said  to  her  granddaughter  :  "  Thy  grandmother 
was  always  kind." 

"  Polly  Everleth  Beedy,"  says  one  of  her  daugh- 
ters, "  was  a  natural  genius.  "  As  a  girl  she  had 
not  been  trained  to  the  work  of  the  household, 
and  yet  she  became  a  fine  housekeeper,  their  home 
being  an  object-lesson  in  neatness  and  order  to  all 
the  neighborhood.  Having  refined  taste,  she 
decorated  her  house  in  a  manner  quite  unusual  to 
the  early  pioneers.  She  made  paper  flowers  of 
rare  beauty. 

Her  husband,  Daniel  Beedy,  was  a  military 
captain,  but  no  tailor-cut  uniform  ever  fitted  better 
than  Captain  Beedy 's,  manufactured  from  the  raw 
material  by  Polly.  Her  husband  was  very  proud 
of  her  skill,  declaring  that  she  could  cut  and  make 
a  uniform  better  than  any  one  else. 

Captain  Beedy  was  a  stately  man,  and  Polly  was 
a  graceful  rider.  They  often  journeyed  on  horse- 
back, attracting  attention  by  their  fine  appearance. 
It  was  not  unusual  for  them  to  be  accompanied  by 
several  children.  In  attempting  to  cross  a  swollen 
river  Polly's  horse  lost  its  balance.  The  only  way 
to  save  the  baby,  which  she  was  carrying  in  her 
arms  on  a  pillow,  was  to  throw  pillow  and  baby  to 
the    shore,   which  she    did,    and    barely    escaped 


HOMEKEEPERS  ^73 

drowning  herself.     She  was  a  devout  woman  and 
kept  the  fire  burning  upon  the  family  altar. 

On  opposite  hills  overlooking  the  Kennebec,  in 
the  town  of  Winslow,  lived  the  Paines  and  the 
Rices,  two  families  which  greatly  influenced  the 
early  life  and  gave  tone  to  the  cultured  society 
that  characterized  Winslow. 

Jane  Warren  Paine  was  born  in  Roxbury,  Mas- 
sachusetts, August  20,  1777,  on  the  old  Warren 
homestead.  She  was  a  niece  of  General  Joseph 
Warren  of  Bunker  Hill  fame,  and  partook  of  the 
nature  of  her  illustrious  uncle.  Her  family  after- 
ward moved  to  Foxboro. 

In  1805  she  married  Lemuel  Paine  and  came 
with  him  to  Winslow.  She  naturally  became  a 
leader  of  the  community  that  grew  up  around  her. 

Mrs.  Paine  was  a  small  woman,  remarkable  for 
her  keen  wit  and  sharp  repartee.  She  carefully 
trained  and  educated  her  three  boys,  of  whom  the 
Hon.  Henry  W.  Paine  was  one.  He  is  spoken  of 
as  "  one  of  New  England's  greatest  lawyers." 

Sarah  Swan  Rice  was  born  in  Groton,  Mas- 
sachusetts, May  6,  1777.  Her  family  lived  in  Otis- 
field  during  her  early  childhood.  She  grew  to  be 
an  interesting  young  lady.  Her  soft  blue  eyes, 
comely  form  and  sweet  ways,  led  captive  the  heart 
18 


274  MOTHERS     OF    MAtNE 

of  the  village  schoolmaster,  Thomas  Rice.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  she  became  his  wife.  He  was  a 
promising  young  lawyer,  graduated  at  Harvard  in 
1 792,  and  soon  rose  to  distinction.  He  was  chosen 
to  represent  Maine  in  Congress  from  181 7  to  182 1. 

Mrs.  Rice  accompanied  her  husband  to  Wash- 
ington. She  bore  herself  with  great  dignity  of 
manner,  and  was  much  admired  for  her  beauty 
and  social  qualities.  One  of  the  gowns,  a  white 
figured  silk,  worn  by  Mrs.  Rice  on  these  occasions, 
is  cherished  as  a  precious  relic  of  ye  olden  time 
by  one  of  her  relatives  to-day.  The  ladies  of  that 
period  wore  the  high  turban  and  broad  ruff.  Mrs. 
Rice  ever  after  retained  her  headdress,  which  in 
advanced  life  was  the  simple  lace  cap. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rice  made  their  home  in  Winslow, 
on  a  large  farm  sloping  to  the  Kennebec.  There 
was  an  air  of  comfort  about  the  broad  house, 
spread  out  upon  the  ground,  with  its  open  fire- 
place in  the  great  central  hall. 

Having  none  of  her  own,  Mrs.  Rice  took  to  her 
home  and  heart  the  children  of  others,  to  whom 
she  became  a  devoted  mother.  Fortunate  the 
orphaned  child  that  grew  up  beneath  her  roof! 

Among  those  who  spent  many  years  in  her 
home,  and  who  loved  her  as  a  mother,  was  Delia 
Maria  Johnson,  daughter  of  Henry  Johnson,  a 
lawyer  of  Clinton.     Squire  Rice's    house  was  the 


HOMEKEEPERS  2/5 

minister's  home,  and  here  boarded  the  young  pa«5- 
tor,  Rev.  William  May.  Here  he  wooed  and  won 
his  beautiful  bride,  Delia  Maria  Johnson,  and  here 
they  were  married  in  1830,  Rev.  Thomas  Adams, 
since  known  as  Father  Adams,  performing  the 
ceremony.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  May  — 
Sarah  Rice  and  Julia  Harris  —  never  forgot  their 
childhood  visits  to  Mrs.  Rice,  and  cherished  her 
memory  with  filial  affection. 

Sarah  Rice  May,  so  well  known  as  a  successful 
Christian  teacher  in  Franklin  County,  was  named 
for  Mrs.  Rice. 

Mrs.  Rice  was  a  devoted  housekeeper,  never 
leaving  the  care  of  her  household  to  others.  It 
was  her  custom  on  Thanksgiving  day  to  invite  the 
minister  as  her  guest  of  honor,  although  many 
others  gathered  about  her  well-laden  tables. 

She  was  for  many  years  president  of  the  "June 
Meeting,"  an  annual  gathering  of  a  society  for 
benevolent  purposes.  The  money  raised  was  usu- 
ally devoted  to  the  minister's  salary. 

One  of  her  nephews  writes  of  her: 

I  always  regarded  Aunt  Rice  as  one  of  the  most  dignified 
ladies  of  my  acquaintance,  and  she  was  most  highly  cultivated 
and  thoroughly  educated  for  the  day  in  which  she  lived. 

Though  their  homes  were  only  half  a  mile  dis- 
tant, in   their  early  life  it  was   not  considered  safe 


276  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

for  Mrs.  Paine  and  Mrs.  Rice  to  visit  each  other 
unattended,  in  consequence  of  the  bears  that  often 
haunted  the  forests  between  them. 

As  the  wives  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  the  com- 
munity, they  had  many  interests  in  common.  The 
young  law  students  found  in  them  wise  counselors 
and  helpful  friends.  Their  homes  were  always 
open  to  the  distinguished  members  of  the  bar  that 
frequented  Maine  in  those  days. 

With  all  the  care  that  devolved  upon  them,  both 
of  these  ladies  kept  up  their  early  culture,  and 
never  allowed  themselves  to  become  indifferent  to 
the  interests  of  the  community  which  they  had 
shaped  and  adorned. 

Ruth  Smith  and  Ebenezer  Higgins  were  mar- 
ried in  Bucksport  in  1814  during  the  stormy  days 
of  the  war  of  181 2.  They  immediately  set  out  on 
horseback  for  the  more  peaceful  section  of  Exeter. 
The  path  had  been  carefully  blazed  by  removing 
patches  of  bark  from  the  trees.  Full  of  bright 
anticipations,  the"  young  people  wended  their  way 
to  the  log-cabin  Mr.  Higgins  had  prepared  for  his 
bride,  on  his  fifteen-acre  lot.  Their  log-cabin  life 
covered  but  four  years.  The  new  and  spacious 
home  was  built  near  it. 

Mrs.  Higgins  was  a  devoted  mother.     Her  seven 


HOMEKEEPERS  27/ 

children  found  in  her  a  sympathetic  companion. 
They  knew  that  mother's  word  was  law,  and  to  be 
reproved  by  her  was  to  be  humiliated.  Her  quiet 
manner  and  calm  dignity  won  the  respect  of  all. 
She  knew  the  ways  of  her  household.  One  of  her 
sons  says : 

Mother  never  went  to  bed  if  any  member  of  her  family  was 
out  at  night,  and  no  matter  how  cold  it  might  be  we  were 
always  sure  of  some  warm  refreshment  awaiting  us. 

The  home  is  remembered  to-day  for  its  simple, 
unaffected  hospitality.  It  was  seldom  without  its 
guests.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higgins  were  the  founders 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Exeter,  and 
their  home  was  the  minister's  home.  All  religious 
strangers  were  made  welcome.  The  Bible  was 
Mrs.  Higgins  daily  companion.  She  was  fond  of 
hymns,  especially  those  of  the  Wesleys.  For 
many  years  every  copy  of  the  Zion's  Herald  was 
preserved.     The  files  were  complete  to  1884. 

Mrs.  Higgins  was  left  a  widow  in  1853.  From 
that  time  to  her  death,  1884,  she  managed  the 
farm.  It  was  her  custom  to  employ  reliable  men, 
to  whom  she  entrusted  her  plans  of  work  and  then 
held  them  responsible.  She  always  looked  over 
with  them  every  detail  of  the  business. 

Mrs.  Higgins  was  a  remarkably  preserved 
woman.     She    retained    to    her    eighty-ninth    year 


2/8  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

much  of  her  youthful  beauty.  Her  black  hair  was 
still  glossy  ;  her  black  eyes  still  bright,  and  her 
smile  betrayed  pearly  teeth  of  nature's  own,  not 
the  dentist's,  art. 

Flowers  never  lose  their  fragrance,  it  matters 
not  how  long  or  where  they  bloom.  The  odor  of 
the  "  sweet  grass  "  is  often  borne  to  us  from  the 
most  miasmatic  marsh.  So  it  is  with  human  lives. 
If  they  are  odorous  they  must  exhale  their  sweet- 
ness. There  can  be  no  more  reliable  picture  of  an 
individual  than  that  reflected  in  the  testimony  of 
those  who  have  lived  beside  her.  Mr.  Moody 
advised  the  man  who  did  not  know  whether  he 
was  a  Christian  or  not,  to  "ask  his  neighbors." 
Mrs.  Higgins'  neighbors  bear  loving  testimony  of 
her  pure  and  noble  womanhood.  Said  Colonel 
Frank  W.  Hill  at  the  funeral  of  Ruth  Smith 
Higgins  : 

From  a  child  I  have  known  this  woman.  I  have  lived 
beside  her  sixty  years,  and  I  can  truthfully  say  "  she  never  had 
an  enemy." 

Anna  Livermore  was  the  fourth  daughter  of 
Deacon  Elijah  Livermore,  for  whom  the  town  of 
Livermore  was  named.  She  was  born  in  Wal- 
tham,  Massachusetts,  April  6,  1775.  Her  cradle 
lullabies  were  the  echoes  of  Lexington  and  Bunker 
Hill.     Her  father  was  a  lieutenant  of  the  militia 


HOMEKEEPERS  2/9 

of  Massachusetts,  and  deacon  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church  of  Waltham,  as  his  father  had  been 
before  him.  Anna  was  but  four  years  of  age 
when  the  family  came  to  Maine. 

In  the  early  history  of  Livermore  a  question 
arose  in  regard  to  the  settlement  of  a  physician. 
There  were  two  candidates  for  the  position ;  one  of 
them  was  Doctor  Cyrus  Hamlin,  a  young  man  of 
great  promise,  who  had  made  a  favorable  impres- 
sion upon  the  women.  When  the  matter  was  to 
be  decided  by  vote,  before  leaving  his  home,  every 
man  knew  the  opinion  of  his  wife.  Deacon  Liver- 
more  objected  to  the  young  man,  Hamlin.  He 
was  the  leading  man  of  the  community,  and 
usually  his  voice  was  law ;  but  this  time  the 
women  voted  through  their  husbands.  Deacon 
Livermore  was  overruled  and  the  courteous  Dr. 
Hamlin  was  installed  as  physician  of  Livermore, 
the  town  agreeing  to  board  him  and  his  horse  one 
year  gratuitously.  The  young  physician  grew  in 
favor,  and  heaped  coals  of  fire  on  the  head  of  the 
good  deacon  by  captivating  the  heart  of  his  fair 
daughter,  Anna. 

They  were  married,  December  4,  1797,  and 
made  their  home  in  Livermore.  Their  house 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  "  Norlands."  After  twelve 
years  the  family  moved  to  Paris,  as  Doctor  Ham- 


28o  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

lin  was  made  Clerk  of  Courts  of  the  newly  formed 
county  of  Oxford.  Here  their  son,  Hon.  Hanni- 
bal Hamlin,  was  born  in  1809. 

Doctor  Hamlin  died  at  Paris,  1829.  Mrs.  Ham- 
lin survived  him  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
proving  her  great  strength  of  character  in  the 
careful  training  of  seven  children. 

Very  few  portraits  of  the  early  pioneer  women 
of  Maine  are  to  be  found.  In  that  big  bulky 
book,  the  History  of  Penobscot  County,  there  are 
portraits  of  fifty-six  men,  but  only  one  woman, 
Mrs.  Frances  Hill.  In  18 13,  Mr.  Hill,  a  young 
man,  picked  his  way  from  Bangor  on  foot  by  a 
spotted  line  to  Exeter.  Two  years  later  he 
brought  his  bride,  Frances,  from  Castine  on  horse- 
back through  the  woods,  to  the  sunny  cabin  home 
he  had  prepared  for  her. 

The  next  year  Mrs.  Hill  visited  Castine,  making 
the  journey  to  Bucksport,  a  distance  of  forty  miles, 
in  one  da3%  on  horseback,  carrying  a  baby  in  her 
arms.  As  soon  as  the  roads  would  admit,  Mrs. 
Hill  drove  in  her  one-horse  chaise.  Later  in  life, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  journeyed  in  their  four-wheeled 
carriage,  the  finest  turnout  in  that  region  ;  and  yet 
they  did  not  affect  style,  but  lived  simply.  Their 
home    was  well-known  for    its    hospitality.       Mrs. 


HOMEKEEPERS  28l 

Hill  was  a  good  housekeeper  and  enjoyed  the 
fruits  of  her  industry.  She  was  a  devoted  church- 
woman.  It  was  customary  for  the  minister,  after 
the  sermon,  to  invite  the  worshipers  to  add  a  word 
of  testimony.  Mother  Hill  seldom  failed  to  im- 
prove the  opportunity,  to  enforce  the  lesson  of  the 
hour.  She  had  marked  ability  and  a  happy  com- 
mand of  language.  She  was  listened  to  with 
great  respect. 

In  1864  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  celebrated  their 
golden  wedding.  Their  daughter,  Elizabeth,  mar- 
ried Lewis  Barker  of  Bangor.  One  who  knew 
Mrs.  Hill  well  says:  "She  was  a  right-down  nice 
old  lady." 

Mary  Foster,  the  daughter  of  John  Foster,  was 
born  in  East  Machias  in  1788,  and  in  her  child- 
hood and  youth  experienced  all  the  hardships  and 
privations  which  fall  upon  the  pioneers  of  a  home 
in  a  remote  region  of  the  wilderness,  separated 
from  the  centers  of  civilization  by  leagues  of 
stormy  ocean  and  miles  of  roadless  wilderness. 

Bright  and  inquisitive,  she  gathered  from  the 
meager  curriculum  of  the  infrequent  school  and 
from  the  few  books  of  the  small  circulating  library, 
or  those  loaned  by  friends,  a  taste  for  good  litera- 
ture, which   became  the   delight  of  her  later  life. 


282  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

She  knew  the  then  English  classics,  Addison, 
Steele  and  Jonson,  and  could  repeat  by  the  page 
the  poems  of  Goldsmith  and  Cowper.  In  her 
eager  readings  of  these  sterling  authors — often 
stealthy  and  contraband,  for  they  were  stolen  from 
hours  strictly  devoted  to  household  drudgery  — 
she  had  the  sympathy  and  cooperation  of  her  older 
sister,  Mrs.  Hovey,  herself  a  composer  of  verses 
and  a  devotee  of  art ;  of  the  two  daughters  of 
Major  Stillman,  who  were  afterward  in  succession 
the  wives  of  the  father  of  George  S.  Hillard,  the 
distinguished  scholar  and  writer ;  and  of  the 
O'Brien  girls,  children  of  Gideon  O'Brien,  one  of 
the  heroes  of  the  Margaretta  capture.  When 
these  young  friends  visited  each  other  they  had  to 
go  by  skiff  some  ten  miles  down  one  river  and  up 
another,  or  on  horseback  over  a  bridle-path  a  few 
miles  less  through  the  woods. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  Mary  Foster  was  mar- 
ried to  John  Cofifin  Talbot,  who  occupied  a  promi- 
nent place  in  the  administration  of  the  town  affairs 
and  in  business.  He  was  a  member  of  the  House 
and  Senate  in  the  state  legislature  and  president 
of  the  latter  body,  and  for  many  years  judge  of 
probate  for  his  county.  This  auspicious  marriage 
was  the  consummation  of  a  singular  intimacy  that 
began  in  the  childhood  of  each,  which  became  an 


HOMEKEEPERS  283 

unconfessed,  unspoken  engagement,  so  that  they 
never  thought  of  the  relation  but  in  reference  to 
each  other.  They  were  happy  in  the  circum- 
stance so  rare  among  the  changes  of  modern  Hfe, 
that  on  the  morning  of  their  wedding  they  moved 
into  the  house  the  husband  had  built,  and  in  that 
house  all  their  children  were  born  and  from  it  in 
their  old  age  they  were  each  carried  out  to  their 
burial.  It  was  an  ideal  house  to  be  born  in  and  a 
sacred  precinct  to  die  in.  Pleasantly  situated  on 
the  bank  of  the  little  river,  it  commanded  from  its 
windows  the  whole  sweep  of  the  beautiful  stream, 
from  the  lakes  in  which  it  took  its  rise,  to  the  estu- 
ary into  which  it  emptied  on  its  way  to  the  sea. 
Nearly  every  house  in  the  village  could  be  seen 
from  the  terrace  on  which  it  stood. 

It  was  the  task  and  delight  of  Mrs.  Talbot  to 
adorn  these  grounds  with  trees,  shrubs,  and  flow- 
ers, many  of  them  of  her  own  planting.  She  was 
an  ardent  lover  of  nature.  The  sunsets,  the  placid 
summer  days  whose  silence  was  broken  by  the 
songs  of  birds  and  the  perpetual  bass  of  the  water 
falling  over  the  near  mill-dam,  and  not  less,  the 
stern  aspect  of  the  winter  skies,  swept  by  howling 
storms  and  dimmed  by  sifting  snows,  deeply 
moved  her  aesthetic  feeling.  If  she  did  not  write, 
she  lived  and  felt  poetry.     She  was    always  sum- 


284  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

monins:  her  children  or  her  visitors  to  note  how 
beautiful  the  world  was,  and,  sitting  by  the  open 
window  of  her  chamber,  was  wont  to  exclaim,  un- 
der the  spell  of  the  landscape  opened  out  before 
her  eyes  :  "  It  is  good  to  be  alive  !  " 

The  love  of  literature,  which  had  been  the  pas 
sion  of  her  girlhood,  grew  stronger  in  her  maturer 
years,  and  to  her  favorite  authors.  Pope,  Goldsmith 
and  Cowper,  she  was  glad  to  add  Milton,  Shakes- 
peare and  Walter  Scott.  Without  being  an  elocu- 
tionist she  recited  admirably.  The  sonorous  dic- 
tion of  Milton,  the  rhythmic  philosophy  of  Shakes- 
peare, and  the  thrilling  plots  of  the  "  Wizard  of  the 
North,"  as  she  read  them,  are  remembered  by  her 
children  to-day.  She  had  a  taste  for  comedy ;  she 
relished  wit,  and  saw  instantly  the  ludicrous  side 
of  persons  and  the  ludicrous  forms  of  expression 
and  conduct. 

Life  was  rarely  dull  in  her  atmosphere,  and  she 
had,  for  hosts  of  young  people  who  gathered 
around  her,  unlimited  resources  of  pleasure  and 
instruction.  She  promoted  charades,  masquerades, 
and  every  available  form  of  historic  exhibition. 
She  had  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  riddles,  rhymes, 
local  anecdotes,  and  droll  descriptions  of  the  man- 
ners and  speech  of  the  earlier  generations  whose 
quaint    characters,    unspoiled    by    fashion,    uncon- 


HOMEKEEPERS  28$ 

ventionalized  by  repressive  public  propriety,  had 
grown  up,  as  it  were,  out  of  the  soil  in  all  their 
natural  crotchedness. 

For  sustained,  rational  conversation,  conversa- 
tion that  was  not  gossip  nor  declamation  nor 
disputation,  she  might  always  be  trusted  to  bear 
her  part.  Her  husband,  her  family,  surrendered 
to  her  leadership  the  purveyance  of  any  intel- 
lectual entertainment  that  was  required  to  make 
complete  the  hospitality  of  her  table.  No 
matter  how  distinguished  or  courtly  or  eminent 
the  guest  might  be,  she  met  him  on  terms  of  cor- 
diality and  equality.  She  ministered  instruction 
to  those  less  well  equipped  than  herself,  and  always 
showed  a  flattering  interest  in  and  appreciation  of 
those  who,  from  a  larger  experience  and  deeper 
study,  could  bring  to  her  new  knowledge  and  new 
ideas. 

In  the  year  1825,  one  of  those  religious  revivals 
which  characterized  the  earlier  years  of  the  pres- 
ent century,  swept  over  the  little  town  and  em- 
braced among  its  subjects  a  considerable  part  of  its 
most  prominent  and  intelligent  citizens.  Simul- 
taneously with  her  husband  she  passed  through 
the  phases  of  a  vivid  religious  experience  and 
joined  the  Congregational  church.  Thencefor- 
ward, for  all  the  rest  of  her  life,  religion  was  the 


286  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

dominant  influence  to  which  all  her  tastes,  studies 
and  interests  were  subordinated. 

She  was  not  the  less  a  lover  of  nature,  an 
enthusiastic  student  of  the  best  literature,  busied 
with  her  garden  and  flowers,  with  her  fowls  and 
domestic  animals,  and  bringing  to  the  performance 
of  her  household  duties  an  assiduous  and  tireless 
industry. 

Through  most  of  her  life  she  had  enjoyed 
robust  health.  The- stories  told  by  her  children  of 
days  of  domestic  labor,  begun  before  dawn  and 
prolonged  far  into  the  night,  would  hardly  be 
credited  by  the  modern  woman.  She  often 
expressed  her  disbelief  in  nerves.  The  time  came 
at  last  when  her  fine  physique  succumbed  to  the 
common  infirmity.  An  excrutiating  neuralgia, 
accompanied  with  great  debilit}^  seized  her  in  her 
fiftieth  year,  and  for  the  next  twenty  years  she 
lived  in  great  patience  and  cheerfulness  the  life  of 
an  invalid.  Still  the  family  life  centered  about  her 
sick  chamber,  and  there  were  happily  few  days 
when  she  could  not  entertain  her  friends  with  her 
conversation,  or  by  reading  aloud  something  that 
had  interested  her.  With  love  for  all  she  passed 
away,  sealing  the  testimony  of  a  noble  life  by  a 
heroic  death. 

In  her  last  years,  without   changing  her  belief. 


HOMEKEEPERS  287 

the  rigor  and  hardness  of  the  creed  she  had  pro- 
fessed had  been  greatly  modified  and  liberalized 
by  the  new  literature  she  had  read,  and  especially 
by  the  genial  influence  of  her  favorite  pastor  and 
teacher,  Rev.  Thomas  Treadwell  Stone,  D.  D,  now 
living  at  the  age  of  ninety-five. 

Happy  he 
With  such  a  mother  !     faith  in  womankind 
Beats  in  his  blood,  and  trust  in  all  things  high 
Comes  easy  to  him. 

Tennyson. 


PATTY  BENJAMIN  WASHBURN 


'9 


XXI 


PATTY  BENJAMIN  WASHBURN 


'"''How  much  the  wife  is  dearer  than  the  bride ^ 

Lord  Lyttleton. 


P 


ATTY  BENJAMIN  was  a  genuine  Maine 
girl,  born  and  educated  in  Livermore, 
"Pretty  Patty  Benjamin,"  the  neighbors  called  her. 
On  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Androscoggin  was  a 
young  man  of  sterling  worth,  who  had  come  from 
Massachusetts  to  the  wilds  of  Maine,  to  make  a 
home.  He  lost  his  heart  at  the  first  glimpse  of 
Patty  Benjamin.  He  wooed  her  in  princely  style. 
At  one  time  when  he  arrived  at  the  river,  mounted 
and  clad  in  knightly  array,  cap-a-pie,  he  found  he 
could  not  reach  the  trumpet  that  summoned  the 
ferryman  from  the  opposite  shore  without  soiling 
his  shoes,  which  had  been  polished  with  great  care 
for  the  occasion.  He  gave  a  boy  ninepence  to 
blow  it  for  him.     This  proved  lucky  money  for  the 

291 


292  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

boy,  as  it  was  the  first  he  had  ever  earned.  He 
afterwards  became  a  rich  man,  Ambrose  Merrill  of 
Hallowell. 

They  were  married  in  1812.  Soon  after  Mr. 
Washburn  took  his  wife  on  horseback  to  Rayn- 
ham,  Massachusetts,  to  visit  his  mother.  She  was 
one  of  the  leaders  of  society  and  an  accomplished 
entertainer.  She  was  not  expecting  much  help 
from  this  Maine  girl,  but  was  astonished  to  find 
how  readily  she  adapted  herself  to  her  new  envi- 
ronments. Her  husband  delighted  to  quote  his 
mother  as  saying  :  "  Martha  could  wait  upon  the 
company  in  the  kitchen  and  entertain  them  in  the 
parlor."  He  was  always  a  devoted  lover.  Their 
honeymoon  never  waned.  She  was  very  timid  and 
had  been  known  to  faint  at  the  sight  of  a  toad. 
Her  husband  usually  accompanied  her  on  her 
walks  and  with  his  cane  guarded  her  path  from 
animals. 

Mrs.  Washburn  was  the  mother  of  eleven  child- 
ren. "  Be  sure  to  take  the  child  up  before  it  is 
taken  down,"  was  always  her  instruction  to  the 
nurse.  Accordingly  every  Washburn  baby  was 
marshaled  to  the  attic  and  made  to  take  in  the 
loftiest  air  of  the  house  before  it  was  taken  down 
to  the  lower  floor.  Though  not  scholarly,  she  was 
a  woman  of   fine  presence    and   great    dignity   of 


PATTY    BENJAMIN    WASHBURN  293 

character.  Her  resources  were  unbounded.  Upon 
the  occasion  of  a  visit  to  a  neighbor,  the  family 
was  found  to  be  too  large  for  the  pie  and  some  of 
the  children  did  not  receive  any.  She  remarked  : 
*'  I  never  saw  a  pie  so  small  I  could  not  make  it 
go  round."  She  could  control  circumstances.  She 
would  make  two  stitches  do  if  she  had  time  for  no 
more.  Having  more  boy  than  cloth,  she  made 
them  short  jackets,  replying  to  their  urgent  appeals 
for  coats:  "  If  you  stand  at  the  head  of  your  class 
jackets  are  just  as  good  as  coats."  Her  advice  to 
her  children  was  always  :  "  Aim  at  the  moon  ;  if 
you  don't  hit  it  you  will  have  the  fun  of  watching 
your  arrows  go  up."  She  lived  to  see  all  her  child- 
ren grown,  and  if  their  arrows  did  not  pierce  the 
moon,  they  have  given  to  the  world  marvelous 
examples  of  high  shooting. 

One  of  the  grandest  monuments  of  Minneapolis,  is  the 
Washburn  Home  for  Orphans,  founded  and  endowed  by  Hon. 
C.  C.  Washburn,  as  a  memorial  to  his  mother,  that  mother 
from  whom  he  inherited  his  broad  nature  and  noble  traits  of 
character,  which  led  him  to  do  deeds  worthy  of  her  approba- 
tion. 

When  he,  a  boy  of  seventeen  years,  was  about 
to  leave  his  home,  his  mother  thought  the  event  of 
such  importance  that  she  sent  for  the  minister  to 
come,  and  after  the  other  nine  children  were  put 


294  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

to  bed,  the  parents,  minister  and  son  held  religious 
services.  These  over,  the  father  in  his  easy  tem- 
perament, feeling  that  his  boy  was  well  fortified 
against  the  temptations  of  the  world  by  his  exam- 
ples and  precept  had  gone  to  his  rest,  but  the 
mother  still  sat  by  her  first-born  son,  saying  of  it 
afterward :  "  I  could  not  let  Cady  go  out  from 
under  our  roof  to  the  great  world,  without  one 
more  talk  with  him."  Mrs.  Washburn  greatly 
desired  that  there  should  be  an  organization 
of  the  church  of  her  choice,  the  Universalist,  at 
the  Norlands,  but  she  was  unable  to  effect  it. 
About  one  year  before  her  death  she  felt  she 
could  no  longer  defer  what  to  her  seemed  the 
sacred  rite  of  baptism.  When  the  day  set  apart 
for  the  public  ceremony  arrived,  she  was  too 
feeble  to  go  to  the  church,  but  received  baptism 
and  partook  of  the  sacrament,  surrounded  by  her 
household,  at  her  own  home. 

During  her  last  days  the  marriage  of  her  daugh- 
ter Mary  to  Gustavus  A.  Buffon  of  Orono,  had 
been  deferred  on  account  of  the  feeble  condition 
of  the  mother,  Mrs.  Washburn  finally  insisted 
that  they  should  wait  no  longer.  On  the  morning 
of  the  wedding,  she  requested  that  she  be  left 
alone  while  the  family  were  at  breakfast.  She 
arose,    dressed  herself  and  was  sitting  in  state  in 


PATTY    BENJAMIN    WASHBURN  295 

the  parlor,   waiting   for   the    ceremony    when    the 
family  arrived. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  dedication  of  the 
library  at  the  Norlands,  in  memory  of  the  father 
and  mother  of  the  Washburns,  it  was  the  pleasure 
of  the  writer  to  hear  Hannibal  Hamlin  say : 

The  mother  of  the  Washburns  was  a  remarkable  woman, 
with  whom  the  famed  Spartan  mothers  and  the  matrons  of 
Rome  fail  in  comparison.  She  taught  her  sons  high  moral 
integrity,  self-reliance  and  industry,  and  upon  that  foundation 
they  have  created  their  great  fame. 

Cornelia,  it  is  said,  when  asked  for  her  jewels,  triumphantly 
pointed  to  her  sons.  Martha  Washburn  could  point  to  her 
sons  as  jewels  that  adorned  different  states  in  the  Union, 
as  well  as  the  nation  itself.  The  record  of  the  family  has  no 
precedent.  There  were  seven  brothers.  One  never  entered 
public  life,  but  was  always  known  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity 
and  superior  business  habits.  In  the  other  six  brothers  we 
find  a  marvelous  record :  two  governors  ;  four  members  of 
Congress  from  four  different  states ;  one  secretary  of  state 
of  the  United  States  ;  two  foreign  ministers ;  two  members  of 
state  legislature  ;  one  major  general  in  the  army,  who  was  also 
military  governor,  and  a  captain  of  the  navy.  No  record  of 
such  another  family  can  be  found  on  earth. 

Indeed  could  Martha  Washburn  be  justly  proud  of  her 
family,  but  that  for  which  she  might  feel  the  highest  pride,  was 
the  fact  that  every  son  of  hers,  in  whatever  position,  has  dis- 
charged all  his  duties  with  distinguished  ability  and  with  an 
untarnished  record,  without  even  a  stain  upon  the  hem  of  his 
garments. 


296  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Mr.  Washburn  in  his  advanced  age,  as  he  re- 
counted the  deeds  of  his  worthy  sons,  always 
began  with  her  Patty  Benjamin,  and  the  name 
lingered  lovingly  on  his  lips. 


SUNDAY  SCHOOLS 


XXII 

SUNDAY  SCHOOLS 


What  we  would  do 

We  should  do  when  we  would. 


Shakespeare. 


THE  mothers  were  largely  instrumental  in 
establishing  the  Sunday-schools  of  the 
state.  It  was  their  practice  to  gather  the  children 
of  the  neighborhood  about  them  for  Bible  instruc- 
tion on  the  Sabbath  day,  this  being  the  only  day 
in  which  they  were  not  occupied  in  their  domestic 
duties.  In  many  of  the  log  cabin  homes  the 
Sabbath  began  on  Saturday  evening.  As  the  num- 
ber of  children  increased  and  exceeded  the  capacity 
of  the  home,  other  and  larger  rooms  were  pro- 
vided. If  there  was  a  meeting-house  the  Sabbath- 
school  was  usually  held  in  it  before  the  religious 
service  of  the  morning.  Many  of  the  first 
Sunday-schools  began  at  9  A.  M.  and  continued 
till  '*  meeting-time."     At  first    only  the   Bible  was 

299 


300  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

taught,  the  children  being  encouraged  to  commit 
to  memory  as  many  verses  as  they  desired.  The 
assembly  catechism  was  the  next  stage. 

The  first  Sunday-school  of  Portland  was  formed 
by  a  company  of  six  young  ladies,  of  whom  Miss 
Mary  H.  Woodbury  was  one.  She  was  born 
in  North  Yarmouth  (now  Cumberland),  February 
9,  1799.  The  family  moved  to  Portland  the  same 
year.  Miss  Woodbury  inherited  from  her  mother 
her  robust  health.  Both  mother  and  daughter 
lived  to  be  more  than  fourscore  and  ten  years. 
Her  long  life  was  one  of  loving  service.  She  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  first  Sunday-schools  of 
Portland,  and  continued  through  her  active  life  a 
faithful  teacher.  She  learned  the  secret  of  grow- 
ing old  gracefully. 

Among  the  early  Sunday-school  workers  of 
Portland  were  Mrs.  Ann  Quincy  Pomroy,  Miss 
Eliza  Quincy,  Miss  Elizabeth  Dix  and  Mrs.  J.  R. 
Brown.  One  of  the  first  Sunday-schools  in  Port- 
land was  held  in  a  small  schoolhouse  where  the 
North  schoolhouse  now  stands.  It  was  established 
about  1824. 

Mrs.  Gregg,  the  wife  of  the  Congregational  min- 
ister, founded  the  first  Sunday-school  of  Cape  Eliz- 
abeth about  1823.  She  invited  the  children  to  her 
home  for    Bible   instruction,  but    there  not   being 


SUNDAY    SCHOOLS  3OI 

room  enough  for  all  who  wished  to  attend,  she 
took  them  to  the  church.  This  was  a  marked 
event  in  the  life  of  the  children.  To  receive  in- 
struction in  the  church  with  no  tithing-man  to 
watch  them,  was  something  before  unknown. 

Mrs.  Mary  R.  Willard  Woodbury,  though  less 
than  ten  years  of  age  at  the  time,  recalls  the  occa- 
sion. Mrs.  Gregg  arranged  the  children  on 
each  side  of  the  aisle  according  to  their  height. 
She  then  entered  one  of  the  large  square  pews  and 
kneeled  on  a  chair.  Mrs.  Woodbury  says :  "  I 
recall  her  sweet  face,  surrounded  by  the  ruffle 
of  her  cap  (she  had  laid  aside  her  bonnet),  and 
my  own  impression  of  the  importance  of  the  act 
that  she  was  asking  God  to  help  her  in  her 
work  for  us."  She  arranged  the  children  in  classes 
of  six  each.  Among  the  teachers  who  aided  her 
were  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Miller,  Mrs.  Mary  Jordan 
and  Miss  Polly  Strout.  The  lessons  were  from 
the  Bible.  Each  child  was  to  commit  six  verses  at 
first.  Mrs.  Gregg  was  superintendent  of  this 
school  many  years. 

In  1 86 1,  Miss  Anna  Sweetsir  collected  the 
children  of  Portland,  into  the  old  schoolhouse  on 
Walnut  street  and  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  Wil- 
liston  Congregational  Sunday-school. 

Mrs.  Abigail  Goodhue    Bailey,  better  known  as 


302  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

Mrs.  Kiah  Bailey,  was  associated  with  her  husband 
in  charitable  and  philanthropic  work  throughout 
the  state.  In  the  mind  of  this  highly  gifted 
woman  originated  the  thought  of  the  Maine 
Charity  School,  now  the  Bangor  Theological  Semi- 
nary. From  her  warm,  sympathetic  heart  came 
the  first  suggestion  for  such  a  school,  and  to  its 
treasury  she  was  the  first  to  contribute. 

Mrs.  Bailey  wrote  to  Mrs.  Jacob  McGaw  as  early 
as  1813,  urging  her  to  make  an  effort  to  collect 
the  children  and  youth  of  Bangor  into  a  school  on 
the  Sabbath-day.  The  first  teachers  in  this  school 
were  Martha  Allen,  Deacon  Boyd,  Eliphaz  Adams, 
and  Eliza  Bryant.  Mrs.  Henry  Call  and  Nancy 
Plummer  were  subsequently  teachers.  The  first 
Sunday-school  in  Hallowell  was  established  by 
Sophia  Sewall  and  Susan  Parsons.  Mrs.  James 
White  of  Hampden,  Mrs.  Stickney  of  Brownfield, 
and  Mrs.  Ruth  Strout  of  Millbridge,  were  active  in 
establishing  Sunday-schools. 

The  first  Sunday-school  at  Fort  Fairfield  was 
established  by  Mary  Johnston,  who  invited  the 
children  of  the  little  community  to  her  father's 
house  on  the  Lord's  day  and  taught  them  from  the 
Bible.     She  also  taught  them  to  sing. 

Miss  Dorothea  Giddings  came  from  New  Hamp- 
shire to    Maine    early    in  the  century.     She  jour- 


SUNDAY    SCHOOLS  3O3 

neyed  as  far  east  as  Thomaston  on  horseback, 
visiting  the  people  and  seeking  to  interest  them  in 
Sabbath-schools.  She  is  spoken  of  as  a  steadfast, 
straight-forward  woman,  set  in  her  opinion  but  set 
in  the  right  direction.  She  was  a  small  woman, 
and  familiarly  known  as  Aunt  Dolly.  She  estab- 
lished herself  in  Brunswick,  where  she  kept  a 
variety  store.  She  was  never  known  to  change 
the  price  of  any  article,  no  matter  what  the  condi- 
tion of  the  market  might  be.  Her  store  was  pat- 
ronized principally  by  women  and  children,  but  if 
a  man  entered,  she  always  attended  to  him  at  once, 
as  she  said,  "  to  git  rid  of  him."  She  kept  con- 
stantly at  hand,  religious  tracts  which  she  distribu- 
ted freely. 

She  was  known  for  her  hospitality.  Her  home 
was  always  open  to  those  in  need.  She  was  a 
godly  woman  and  careful  in  the  observance  of  all 
religious  services.  She  could  not  be  convinced 
that  it  was  reverential  to  sit  during  prayer,  in  the 
public  service.  Dorothea  Giddings  is  remembered 
by  the  children  of  that  day  as  the  woman  who 
always  "  stood  alone  in  the  meeting-house." 

Miss  Phebe  Varnum  Poor,  when  a  girl,  came 
from  Andover,  Massachusetts,  all  the  way  to  Ban- 
gor,  on  horseback.  Here  she  first  met  Jacob 
McGaw,  a  young    and   rising   lawyer,    whom    she 


304  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

afterward  married.  Mrs.  McGaw  was  an  imposing 
woman,  with  fine  face  and  manners,  a  woman  of 
strong  opinions.  She  developed  a  decided  Christ- 
ian character  and  was  instrumental  in  establishing 
the  first  Sunday-schools  of  Bangor.  All  her  life 
she  was  steadfast  as  a  leader  of  the  woman's  prayer- 
meeting.  She  cultivated  the  young  people.  Her 
home  was  an  attractive  center.  As  the  wife  of  the 
first  lawyer  of  the  community,  she  became  famed 
as  an  entertainer.  Not  only  in  Bangor,  but 
throughout  New  England,  her  home  was  spoken  of 
for  its  genuine  hospitality.  The  decanter  was 
banished  from  her  sideboard  very  early  in  her 
married  life.  She  refused  from  principle  to  serve 
wine  to  her  guests. 

Among  her  early  friends  was  Daniel  Webster, 
who  greatly  admired  her.  He  came  to  visit  her  in 
Bangor,  but  Mrs.  McGaw  did  not  disturb  the  tran- 
quility of  her  household  a  week  beforehand  in 
elaborate  prepartions  for  the  visit ;  neither  did  she 
deem  it  necessary  to  keep  her  cook  from  church 
service  even  to  prepare  dinner  for  Daniel  Webster. 
He  was  very  simple  in  his  tastes,  and  a  young 
lady,  who  was  also  Mrs.  McGaw 's  guest,  wrote  her 
friends  that  Daniel  Webster  ate  his  steak  just  like 
other  mortals. 

Mrs.  McGaw,  a  leader  in  the  social  life  of  Ban- 


SUNDAY    SCHOOLS  oqc 

gor,   was   also    a    devoted  churchwoman,    and   the 
chivalrous    statesman,  as    her   guest,    claimed    the 
privilege  of  escorting  her  to  church,  which  he  did 
morning  and  afternoon,  followed  by  the  household. 
When  the  British  took  possession  of   Bangor  in 
1814,  the  best  buildings  of  the  place  were  taken  as 
barracks  for  soldiers.     Nearly  two  hundred  of  the 
principal  men  were  compelled  to  sign  a  document 
declaring  themselves  prisoners  of  war,  and   stipu- 
lating not  to  serve  against  the   British  government 
until  exchanged.      Some  of  the  leading  men  and 
women  were  held  as  hostages  at  the  Hatch  House, 
among  these  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  McGaw. 


20 


TEACHERS 


XXIII 
TEACHERS 


The  ttvo  highest  fimctionariex  of  the  state  are  the  viuse  and  the  schoolmaster, 

Victor  Hugo. 


THE  Free  Public  School  is  indigenous  to 
Maine.  The  log  cabin  soon  became  the 
schoolhouse.  The  mothers  gathered  about  them 
the  children  of  the  neighborhood  for  instruction. 
The  following  word  picture  is  worthy  the  canvas : 
The  central  figure  is  Sally  Cobb  Robinson  in 
the  double  duty  of  housewife  and  teacher.  It  is 
the  noon  hour;  the  aroma  of  dinner  is  in  the  air. 
Through  the  open  door  the  hungry  workmen  are 
seen  approaching;  in  the  distance  the  sparkling 
Penobscot.  Sally  stands  beside  the  crane  swung 
out  from  the  open  fire.  Over  the  brim  of  the  big 
iron  kettle,  on  a  long  iron  fork,  she  balances  a 
large  piece  of  boiled  beef.  While  she  waits  for 
it  to  drip  she  drills  a  company  of  children  to  toe 

309 


3IO  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

the  line — a  crack  in  the  floor — and  to  pronounce 
after  her  the  words  of  the  spelling  lesson.  The 
accessories  of  the  picture  are  the  waiting  dinner- 
table,  the  cradle  with  its  sleeping  baby,  the  chairs, 
bed,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  a  log  cabin  home. 

In  the  educational  advantages  of  the  public 
schools  of  Maine,  there  has  been  very  little  dis- 
crimination made  between  boys  and  girls.  The 
first  teachers  employed  at  the  public  expense  were 
men  who  were  paid  for  their  services  in  lumber. 
Enelish  women  of  culture  and  refinement  were 
among  the  early  teachers.  They  were  ladies  of 
great  dignity  of  character  and,  like  many  of  the 
pioneer  women,  who  also  were  efficient  teachers, 
are  remembered  for  their  many  kindly  virtues. 

As  early  as  1760,  when  there  were  only  about 
one  thousand  people  in  Portland,  Dame  Clark's 
was  a  famous  school  for  small  children,  boys  and 
girls.  Stephen  Longfellow's  school  was  open  on 
equal  terms  to  boys  and  girls  at  i8s.  8d.  per 
year,  or  8s.  by  the  quarter. 

In  a  small  brick  schoolhouse  on  Spring  Street, 
Portland,  Marm  Fellows  taught  her  little  flock. 
This  was  the  first  school  that  Longfellow  attended. 

The  sisters.  Alma,  Hannah  and  Rebecca  Cross 
taught  a  young  ladies'  school  in  Portland.     It  was 


TEACHERS  3II 

located  on  Park  Street.  It  was  on  the  monitorial 
plan  which  proved  very  successful  under  their  wise 
guidance.  They  were  faithful  and  thorough  in 
their  teaching. 

The  Monday  morning  Bible  lessons  were  a 
marked  feature  of  the  school.  Miss  Alma  made  a 
specialty  of  astronomy.  She  built  an  observatory 
in  the  middle  of  Park  Street  Block,  and  here,  with 
her  fine  telescope,  she  pointed  out  to  her  pupils 
the  wonders  of  the  starry  heavens.  Miss  Rebecca 
taught  needlework.  Under  her  guidance  every 
girl  wrought  a  sampler.  Each  pupil  was  also 
taught  to  make  a  shirt  for  her  father.  Elizabeth 
Widgery  Varnum  remembers  that  hers  was  not  an 
easy  task,  as  her  father  was  a  large  man  and  nine- 
teen rows  of  stitching  with  every  thread  counted 
was  thought  necessary  for  the  bosom.  In  gather- 
ing, the  girls  were  taught  to  take  up  two  threads 
and  leave  foiir  between  each  stitch.  The  work 
was  carefully  criticised.  Unfortunate  was  the  girl 
who  had  taken  up  three  threads.  The  work  must 
be  undone,  no  matter  how  far  back  the  irregular 
stitch  might  be. 

Miss  Hannah  was  the  housekeeper  and  was  quite 
as  famous  for  her  Indian  puddings  as  her  sisters 
for  astronomy  and  needlework. 

Portland  was  highly  favored  in  the  triads  of  sisters 


312  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

who  taught  in  its  early  schools.  The  Misses  Eliza, 
Martha  and  Mary  Mayo  taught  successfully  many 
years.     Their  home  was  on  Mayo  Street. 

The  Lowell  sisters,  Ann,  Isabella  and  Ellen, 
were  among  the  first  public  school  teachers  of 
Portland.  They  inaugurated  a  system  of  cards 
that  proved  helpful  in  their  work.  They  were 
very  conscientious  in  their  teaching,  refined  and 
gentle  in  their  manners. 

Mrs.  Allen  Lambert,  an  English  lady  of  note, 
taught  the  Cony  School  at  Augusta  many  years. 
Her  sister  was  associated  with  her  in  teaching. 

Mrs.  Sibyl  Parker  Pattee  taught  at  Augusta 
and  Winslow.  Her  husband  was  drowned  only 
one  month  after  her  marriage.  She  anticipated 
the  Kindergarten  method  in  her  teaching. 

Miss  Olive  Grey  of  North  Yarmouth  and  Miss 
Abigail  Ford  of  Bangor,  were  famous  teachers  of 
the  olden  time. 

There  was  something  very  dignified  and  impress- 
ive about  the  attire  of  these  early  teachers — many 
of  them  wore  the  white,  full-crowned  cap. 

Miss  Catharine  Lyman  taught  a  young  ladies' 
school  for  several  years  in  Norridgewock,  soon 
after  Maine  became  a  state,  in   1820.     She  was  a 


TEACHERS  313 

native  of  Northfield,  Massachusetts.  She  married 
Rev.  Thomas  Adams  of  Vassalboro,  and  continued 
her  teaching  for  a  few  years.  Mrs.  Adams  was 
the  mother  of  two  children.  She  was  a  woman  of 
superior  ability,  fond  of  historical  research.  She 
published  several  literary  works,  among  them  "The 
History  of  the  Jews"  and  "Parlor  Lectures  on 
Sacred  History."  This  last  purported  to  be  a 
conversation  between  a  mother  and  her  two  sons, 
William  and  Herbert. 

Rev.^Thomas  Adams  published  the  Temperance 
Gazette  at  Augusta  in  1840.  The  paper  was  sub- 
sequently transferred  to  Portland.  In  this  work 
he  was  ably  assisted  by  Mrs.  Adams,  who  at  the 
same  time  edited  a  paper  for  young  people  called 
The  Wreath. 

Miss  Jane  Lambert  was  a  school  teacher  well 
known  in  the  early  part  of  the  century.  She  was 
born  in  Durham  in  1809,  and  married  Nelson 
Dingley,  Sr.  Her  son,  the  Hon.  Nelson  Dingley, 
says  of  her: 

My  mother  was  a  woman  of  very  superior  mind,  well 
educated  for  her  time  and  surroundings;  for  several  years 
before  her  marriage  a  successful  school  teacher.  She  was  a 
most  wonderful  home  as  well  as  housekeeper,  deeply  religious, 
and  specially  active  in  the  social  life  of  the  communities  in 


314  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

which  she  lived.  She  was  ambitious  for,  and  remarkably  help- 
ful to,  her  children  in  their  studies  and  character  development. 
She  was  well  rounded  in  all  those  qualities  which  make  a  noble 
woman.  I  ascribe  to  her  very  largely  the  molding  of  my  own 
character  and  the  inspiration  to  make  the  most  of  myself. 

Misses  Almira  and  Sarah  H.  Hawes  were  iden- 
tified with  the  educational  interests  of  Castine  for 
nearly  half  a  century.  They  were  ladies  of  the  old 
school,  refined  and  gentle. 

Before  the  writer  lies  the  time-stained  diary  of 
Ruby  Strout,  containing  her  experiences  as  a  country 
school  teacher  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state. 
Ruby  was  the  daughter  of  Joanna  and  Benjamin 
Strout,  born  in  Harrington  in  1814.  From  her 
girlhood  she  was  highly  religious.  She  must  have 
been  a  youthful  teacher.  ^  When  only  eighteen 
years  of  age  she  describes  her  journey  through 
the  woods  on  horseback  to  Beddington,  where  she 
had  previously  taught.  She  left  her  home  April 
23,  "in  good  health  and  lively  spirits,"  accompanied 
by  her  brother  and  a  friend.  They  were  soon  over- 
taken by  a  storm  of  rain  and  snow,  which  dripped 
upon  them  from  the  trees  as  they  found  their  way 
through  the  woods.     She  writes: 

We  came  to  a  place,  extremely  hilly,  which  caused  me  to 
alight  from  my  horse,  the  walking  being  extremely  bad  —  the 


TEACHERS  315 

riding  no  less  so.  The  horse  would  frequently  sink  to  his 
knees  in  the  mud  and  water,  and  I  often  expected  to  be  torn 
from  him  by  the  limbs  of  the  forest. 

At  length  the  spirited  animal  on  which  she  set 
out  on  her  journey  began  to  falter,  and  could  with 
difficulty  be  urged  to  continue.  She  records  the 
conversation  between  herself  and  the  horse,  which 
resulted  in  her  walking  through  the  mud  and  snow, 
encouraging  the  animal  by  friendly  pats.  She 
continues: 

We  arrived  at  the  silent  town  of  Beddington  at  about  six 
o'clock,  and  being  but  little  fatigued  from  my  journey  com- 
menced my  school  next  day.  The  scholars  with  whom  I  had 
spent  the  previous  summer  expressed  a  degree  of  pleasure  at 
my  appearance.  On  the  countenances  of  all  rested  a  smile 
which  told  me  I  was  welcome. 

She  speaks  of  her  delight  in  the  groves,  with  only 
the  birds  for  companions.  She  records,  among 
her  mercies,  that  she  reached  one  of  her  schools  in 
extreme  cold  weather  and  found  no  part  of  her 
frozen. 

Ruby  Strout  was  a  sweet  singer  and  often  in  her 
diary  refers  to  the  singing-school  as  among  her 
social  pleasures.  In  the  loneliness  of  her  life  as  a 
teacher  in  sparsely  settled  communities,  she  speaks 
of  the  privilege  afforded  her  of  studying  herself. 

Ruby  Strout  married  John  B.  Coffin  of  Harring- 


3l6  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

ton.  Of  their  four  children  three  are  now  living. 
She  immediately  identified  herself  with  the  social 
interests  of  the  village  in  which  she  lived.  She 
became  the  president  of  the  first  circle  established 
for  philanthropic  and  literary  purposes.  Her 
pastor  remarked  to  the  writer:  "Your  mother 
was  one  of  the  pillars  of  my  church." 

Penelope  Martin  remained  in  England  seven 
years  after  the  family  came  to  America  in  1783. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  were  distinguished  for  their 
intelligence,  refinement  and  piety.  After  living 
awhile  in  Boston  they  made  their  home  in  North 
Yarmouth,  Maine.  Penelope  was  only  seventeen 
years  old  when  she  joined  the  family  in  1790. 

In  consequence  of  reverses  of  fortune,  the 
daughters  received  private  pupils  in  the  home  at 
North  Yarmouth.  In  1804  the  family  moved  to 
Portland,  where  the  three  Martin  sisters  opened  a 
school  on  Spring  Street.  Miss  Penelope  had  had 
a  special  training  for  her  work,  though  she  was  not 
aware  of  it  at  the  time.  In  England  she  had  been 
educated  at  the  boarding-school  of  her  aunt  and 
was  familiar  with  the  domestic  affairs  of  such  a 
school  and  was  well  qualified  to  direct  in  its 
intellectual  and  ethical  teachings.  She  entered 
upon  her  work  with  great  diffidence,  uncertain   of 


TEACHERS  ^jy 


the  result.  The  school  grew  into  a  fashionable 
boarding-school  for  young  ladies  and  was  finally 
located  on  India  Street.  It  was  in  operation  thirty 
years  and  nearly  seven  hundred  pupils  availed 
themselves  of  the  instruction  of  these  worthy 
women.  Miss  Penelope  and  Miss  Eliza  were  the 
teachers,  and  Miss  Catherine  superintended  the 
home. 

The    mother,    Mrs.    Elizabeth    Galpine    Martin, 
was  a  lady  of  the  old  school,  refined  and  gentle,  a' 
woman  of  deep  piety.     She  was  fond  of  books,'  a 
student  of  the  Bible,  and  familiar  with  the  writers 
of  divinity.      She  died  in  1829  at  the  age  of  ninety 
years,  exemplifying  throughout  her  long  life  — one 
of  her  favorite  sayings:  "A  mannerly  saint  is  an 
ornament    of   grace."     By    her   wise    counsel    and 
''judicious  conversation"  she  assisted  her  daughters 
in  the  management  of  the  school.     Indeed, ''there 
was  an  harmonious  action  of  the  entire  household. 
The  father,  a  gentleman  of   culture  took  peculiar 
pleasure    in    the  young  ladies'  improvement.     He 
taught  them  to  read  with  propriety  choice  passages 
from  Milton  and  Young.     After  his  death  one  of 
the  brothers  assisted. 

Christian  ethics  formed  a  part  of  the  curriculum 
of  the  school.  The  Bible  was  made  a  regular  study 
on   Saturday.     On  Monday  the  pupils  were  ques- 


3l8  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

tioned  in  regard  to  the  texts  and  sermons  they  had 
heard  at  church  on  the  Sabbath.  Even  the  young- 
est were  instructed  in  morals  and  manners. 

In  1832  the  Misses  Martin  received  a  legacy 
from  a  relative  in  England,  which  permitted  them 
to  retire  to  private  life.  Miss  Penelope  died  the 
26th  of  January,  i860,  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven 
years.  The  following  day  Catherine,  who  had 
always  been  the  homekeeper,  now  that  her  last 
charge  was  gone,  quietly  fell  asleep,  having 
attained  to  the  age  of  ninety-six  years.  Miss 
Penelope  left  a  manuscript  of  her  experience  in  the 
school.     She  says: 

We  have  found  that  all  young  ladies,  even  the  best,  require 
unremitting  attention.     There  must  be  precept  upon  precept. 

In  1 82 1  she  deplored  that  the  spirit  of  liberty 
and  equality  is  not  now  confined  to  political 
differences  between  men,  but  the  youth  and  even 
females  are  brought  up  to  partake  of  it. 

Mrs.  Ellen  Martin  Henrotin  is  in  the  line  of 
descent  with  the  Martin  sisters.  She  was  born 
in  Portland ;  liberally  educated  at  home  and 
abroad;  in  1869  married  Mr.  Charles  Henrotin,  a 
banker  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Henrotin  is  a  sweet 
mother,  devoted  to  her  three  boys.  As  vice- 
president  of  the  Woman's   Branch  of  the  World's 


TEACHERS  3 I  9 

Congress  Auxiliary,  Mrs.  Henrotin  became  more 
generally  known  to  the  women  of  America,  the 
world  and  her  native  state.  It  was  fitting  that 
one  who  had  so  honored  women  at  the  worlds 
great  fair  should  receive  at  the  hand  of  women's 
clubs  —  the  highest  honor,  president  of  the  General 
Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  of  America. 


PHYSICIANS  AND  NURSES 


21 


XXIV 
PHYSICIANS  AND  NURSES 

And  fiever  tenderer  hand  than  hers 

Unknit  the  brow  of  ailing  ; 
Her  garments  to  the  sick  man^s  ears 

Had  music  in  their  trailing. 


Whittier, 


MAINE  very  early  had  her  medicine  women, 
many  of  whom  became  skilled  as  physi- 
cians. They  were  often  spoken  of  as  "  she  doc- 
tors," but  were  successful  in  bafHing  the  diseases 
of  children  and  indispensable  as  midwives. 

Jerusha  Austin,  the  wife  of  John  Austin,  came 
with  him  to  Farmington  among  the  first  settlers. 
She  was  a  native  of  Cape  Ann,  which  gave  Maine 
many  brave  women.  For  ten  years  she  was  the 
only  physician  on  the  Sandy  River.  Her  field  of 
practice  was  large,  embracing  Strong,  Avon 
Stark  and  New  Sharon.  She  was  known  as 
"  Granny  Austin."     She  was  a  fearless  woman,  and 

323 


324  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

shrunk  from  no  hardship.  No  storm  was  too  se- 
vere, nor  night  too  dark,  to  keep  her  from  the  sick- 
bed to  which  she  was  summoned. 

In  her  journeyings  over  the  hills  and  through 
the  woods  she  was  obliged  often  to  ford  the 
streams.  She  rode  as  a  woman  should,  with  a  foot 
in  each  stirrup  —  and  a  stirrup  on  each  side  of 
the  horse.     She  died  in  1804. 

Mrs.  Ananiah  Bohannon,  of  Calais,  was  em- 
ployed and  highly  prized  as  a  midwife  in  all  that 
region. 

Madam  D'Ayez  practiced  medicine  many  years 
in  Castine  and  vicinity.  She  was  original  in  her 
methods,  and  many  quaint  stories  are  told  of  her. 

Bethel  had  its  Aunt  Ellingwood,  who  nursed  a 
sick  neighbor,  more  than  a  mile  away,  over  a  path- 
less mountain  filled  with  wild  beasts.  She  re- 
turned to  her  home  every  other  day  to  prepare 
food  for  her  family. 

Mary  Sullivan  Tolman  is  spoken  of  "  as  a 
woman  of  good  common  sense."  Her  husband 
became  insane  and  died,  leaving  her  with  a  family 
of  small  children  without  any  means  for  their  sup- 


PHYSICIANS    AND    NURSES  325 

port.  She  immediately  lent  her  services  to  her 
neighbors,  caring  for  the  sick,  that  she  might  earn 
bread  for  her  family.  She  became  skilful  as  nurse 
and  doctor,  often  taking  long  journeys  at  night, 
with  only  a  small  lantern  to  guide  her  to  the 
homes  of  sick  neighbors.  She  became  famous 
and  was  sought  after  by  the  best  families  of  New 
Sharon  and  Farmington  Falls.  Although  a  small 
woman,  she  often  worked  out  her  tax  on  the 
road.  She  sheared  sheep  and  worked  all  day 
beside  the  men  in  harvest  time;  she  could  reap  as 
much  as  a  man  in  a  day  and  received  the  same 
wages  as  the  men.  She  was  a  good  judge  of  seed 
and  always  had  the  best.  It  is  said  that  "  she  was 
honorable  as  a  business  woman  ;  paid  her  bills, 
and  was  as  square  as  a  brick." 

With  all  her  outside  cares  she  did  not  neglect 
her  home  but  carefully  trained  her  children.  She 
had  a  handsome  hand,  in  striking  contrast  to  those 
of  the  laborers  beside  whom  she  worked.  It  is 
not  recorded  that  any  objection  was  made  to  her 
presence  among  the  laborers  or  that  there  was  any 
reflection  upon  her  character.  She  was  respected 
by  all  with  whom  she  associated,  and  the  narrator 
adds :  "The  family  she  brought  up  was  worth 
raising,    and   Aunt    Mary   Tolman    was  a   shining 

light." 


326  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Mrs.  Toothaker  of  Phillips,  was  a  mother  of 
mercy  among  the  sick  for  many  years  in  Phillips 
and  Rangeley.  She  attended  the  birth  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  children.  So  skilful  was  she 
that  only  two  cases  gave  her  trouble.  She  rode 
horseback  long,  weary  miles.  While  performing 
her  professional  duties  she  also  cared  for  her  own 
household. 

Mehetabel  Ladd  married  Eleazer  Robbins. 
They  came  to  Maine  after  the  Revolution  and  set- 
tled in  Winthrop.  It  was  an  intelligent  home, 
presided  over  by  the  blue-eyed,  light-haired,  hand- 
some Mehetabel.  Mr.  Robbins,  in  addition  to  his 
farm,  had  also  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  as  he 
pounded  the  anvil  he  pounded  also  some  of  thfi 
philosophies  of  the  age,  and  when  the  work  of  the 
day  was  done  and  the  children  put  to  bed,  Eleazer 
and  Mehetabel  "reasoned  together"  of  "righteous- 
ness, temperance  and  judgment  to  come."  They 
were  Bible  students.  Mr.  Robbins  read  the  sacred 
volume  through  twenty  times. 

In  1813  the  family  moved  to  Phillips.  They 
were  obliged  to  take  the  journey  on  horseback. 
Mrs.  Robbins  has  left  a  memorial  of  her  love  for 
flowers  in  the  beautiful  rosebush  that  she  carried 
with    her.       It    still    blossoms    on    the    old    farm. 


PHYSICIANS    AND    NURSES  32/ 

There  were  eight  children,  six  girls  and  two  boys. 
The  daughter,  Betsey,  became  a  famous  nurse. 
She  was  particularly  successful  with  mothers  of 
young  children.  It  was  said  when  good  Doctor 
Blake  was  applied  to  for  a  nurse  he  would  say : 
"  Get  Betsey  Robbins  if  you  can."  She  was  born 
in  1799,  a  lady  of  the  old  school,  but  she  had 
innate  temperance  principles.  She  taught  moth- 
ers of  babies  that  alcoholic  liquors  were  not  neces- 
sary to  their  restoration  to  health,  but  were  posi- 
tively injurious  to  themselves  and  the  child.  She 
was  an  advocate  of  total  abstinence,  so  much  so 
that  those  who  did  not  agree  with  her  accused  her 
of  wishing  to  annihilate  all  alcoholic  stimulant. 

Mrs.  Olive  Reynolds  Macomber  practiced  medi- 
cine many  years  in  Jay.  Her  home  was  on  Macom- 
ber Hill.  She  was  known  throughout  that  region 
as  Aunt  Olive.  She  was  a  woman  of  fine  personal 
appearance,  with  an  unaffected  smile  for  all.  Her 
husband.  Rev.  John  Macomber,  was  a  Baptist 
preacher.  She  often  accompanied  him  on  his 
missions  and  advanced  his  work  by  her  exem- 
plary life  and  judicious  counsel.  Her  success  as 
nurse  was  due  largely  to  her  excellent  disposition 
and  rare  qualities  of  mind.  She  was  amiable, 
firm  and  quiet. 


PREACHERS 


XXV 

PREACHERS 

A  religion  itt  herself,  warm,  simple,  true,  with  a  substance  that  could  walk 
on  earth,  and  a  spirit  that  was  capable  of  heaven. 

n^HERE  came  to  Maine,  in  December,  1662, 
J-  three  women  who  had  been  persecuted  and 
publicly  whipped  in  Dover,  New  Hampshire,  in 
consequence  of  their  persistence  in  the  religious 
faith  of  the  Quakers. 

Anna  Coleman,  Mary  Tomkins  and  Alice  Am- 
brose held  the  first  Quaker  meeting  in  Maine  at 
York,  and  another  soon  after  at  Berwick.  The 
first  regular  meetings  of  the  Friends  were  at  Eliot 
in  1730.  Serious  alarm  was  occasioned  through- 
out the  state,  and  days  of  fasting  and  prayer  were 
kept  for  deliverance  from  the  "spread  of  Quaker- 
ism." But  sweet-faced  women  continued  to  take 
their  lives  in  their  hands  and  go  forth  proclaiming 
the  truth  as  it  was  given  them  to  see  it. 


332  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

In  1759,  Patience  Estes  was  granted  a  certificate 
"  to  travel  on  truth's  account."  The  same  year 
Mary  Curby  and  Elizabeth  Smith  were  permitted 
to  preach  in  Portland. 

Thankful  Hussey  was  an  eminent  preacher  of 
the  early  time.  She  was  born  in  Georgetown,  mar- 
ried Samuel  F.  Hussey,  and  lived  in  Portland. 
She  often  made  religious  journeys  for  the  purpose 
of  preaching.  It  was  announced  at  a  place  where 
the  court  was  in  session  that  Thankful  Hussey 
would  preach  the  following  Sabbath.  Three 
young  lawyers  ridiculed  the  idea  that  a  woman's 
sermon  could  have  any  intrinsic  merit.  They 
agreed  to  hear  her  that  they  might  "  catch  her  in 
her  words,"  and  compare  notes  afterward.  They 
took  seats  together  well  up  in  front,  and  settled 
themselves  to  be  amused  over  a  "woman's  ser- 
mon." They  began  to  feel  a  little  guilty,  when 
she  gave  her  text  from  Job  34:  3 — "For  the 
ear  trieth  words  as  the  mouth  tasteth  meat." 
They  felt  more  so  when  she  added :  "  I  desire 
that  my  words  may  be  tried  by  every  ear  in  this 
house  ;  "  and  she  looked  at  the  three  young  law- 
yers with  her  great  motherly  eyes  until  they  hung 
their  heads.  As  she  proceeded  with  her  sermon 
they  were   pricked    to    the   heart    by    her   winged 


PREACHERS  333 

words,  and  captivated  by  her  sweet  voice  and  man- 
ner. She  so  stirred  their  better  nature  that  they 
forgot  to  cast  glances  at  one  another  in  their  efforts 
to  conceal  their  emotion.  They  confessed  after- 
ward that  she  revealed  to  them,  themselves,  and 
they  never  cared  to  compare  notes.  Mrs.  Hussey 
lived  ninety-two  years. 

Martha  J.  Owen,  a  Quaker  preacher,  was  of 
Scotch  descent.  She  was  born  at  Leeds.  She 
married  William  Hodges,  also  a  preacher.  They 
settled  in  China,  and  traveled  to  various  parts  of 
the  state  on  their  mission  of  love.  Mrs.  Hodees 
was  greatly  respected.  She  had  a  sweet  voice  and 
repeated  hymns  with  great  power.  It  was  said  of 
her,  that  she  had  the  gift  of  prophecy. 

Upon  one  occasion,  when  called  upon  to  admin- 
ister to  a  sick  friend,  she  sat  down  by  the  bed  and 
after  a  "  weighty  silence  before  the  Lord,"  said : 
"  this  sickness  is  not  unto  death  for  I  hear  thy 
voice  in  a  distant  yearly  meeting."  The  friend 
recovered,  and  in  a  few  months  took  out  a  "  minute  " 
to  attend  the  yearly  meeting  at  Baltimore. 

Mrs.  Owen  made  it  her  special  duty  to  visit 
those  in  prison.  By  her  quiet  Christian  demeanor 
she  won  the  confidence  of  the  prison  authorities 
who  allowed  her  to  converse  freely  with  those  "  in 


334  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

bonds."  She  was  instrumental  in  securing  the 
release  of  a  young  man,  who,  through  her  influence, 
became  a  devoted  missionary. 

Hannah  Bartlett  was  a  famous  preacher  among 
the  Friends.  She  lived  at  Unity  and  traveled  to 
Augusta,  a  distance  of  forty  miles  to  preach. 
These  journeys  were  taken  on  horseback.  She 
was  the  mother  of  twelve  children.  'Tis  said  her 
Christian  example  greatly  influenced  the  life  of 
Sibyl  Jones. 


Sibyl  Jones  was  born  in  Brunswick  in  i. 
She  spent  her  childhood  in  Augusta.  She  was 
a  high-spirited  girl,  bitterly  opposed  to  Quakerism 
and  protested  against  the  humble  garb ;  but  her 
good  mother  insisted  upon  her  wearing  it,  as  she 
became  older.  When  the  time  arrived,  the  mother 
with  great  care  had  prepared  her  daughter's  dress, 
which  she  had  promised  to  wear  the  following 
Sabbath.  Imagine  that  mother's  mortification,  as 
from  the  peaceful  repose  of  her  high  seat  in  the 
meeting,  she  looked  up  to  see  her  daughter  enter 
with  her  bonnet  reversed  —  the  cape  falling  over 
her  face. 

Sibyl  developed  into  a  devoted  woman,  her  sweet 
face  and  persuasive   words    winning  many  hearts. 


PREACHERS  335 

She  was  married  to  Eli  Jones  in  1853.  Very  soon 
after  they  heard  the  "  call  of  God  "  and  began  their 
religious  visits,  which  they  continued  throughout 
their  lives.  They  proclaimed  the  love  of  Christ 
throughout  Europe,  extending  their  journey  even  to 
Siberia.  In  1867  they  sailed  from  Boston  to  Syria, 
and  the  Holy  Land.  At  Ramalleh,  Jerusalem, 
they  founded  the  Eli  and  Sibyl  Jones  Mission, 
which  is  still  active  and  recognized  even  by  the 
prejudiced  Moslem  as  a  memorial  of  the  practical 
love  of  Christ. 

Sibyl  Jones  was  the  mother  of  five  children. 
Much  has  been  written  of  her  great  executive  abil- 
ity. She  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  trustees 
of  Oak  Grove  Seminary,  now  known  as  Bailey 
Institute.     Whittier  writes  of  her: 

Sibyl  Jones,  whose  inspired  eloquence  and  rare  spirituality 
impressed  all  who  knew  her.  In  obedience  to  her  apprehended 
duty  she  made  visits  of  Christian  love  to  various  parts  of 
Europe  and  to  the  west  coast  of  Africa  and  Palestine. 

Aunt  Horton  was  one  of  the  mothers  of  the 
Friends,  much  loved  and  honored  in  Portland.  At 
the  age  of  ninety-six,  she  is  described  as  straight 
and  majestic  as  a  palm  tree  and  in  full  possession 
of  all  her  mental  powers.  She  and  her  husband 
owned  the  first  four-wheeled  covered  carriage  ever 


336  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

seen  in  Portland.  Their  orchard  was  where  Green 
Street  now  is.  She  lived  to  be  ninety-nine  years 
old.  They  often  accompanied  the  Quaker  preach- 
ers in  their  journeys,  Mrs.  Horton  left  to  the 
Falmouth  Monthly  Meeting  a  sum  of  money,  now 
called  the  Sarah  W.  Horton  Fund. 

Mrs.  Polly  Young  of  Bangor,  celebrated  her 
one  hundredth  birthday  September  4,  1883.  Her 
descendants  through  five  generations  were  present 
on  the  occasion.  Mrs.  Young  held  upon  her  lap  her 
great-great-great-granddaughter,  then  six  months 
old. 

Mrs.  Young  was  born  in  New  Hampshire.  She 
came  of  a  long  line  of  illustrious  families.  She  was 
married  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  to  Benjamin 
Young.  War  and  theology  were  discussed  with 
equal  fervor  by  this  youthful  pair.  With  a  babe, 
three  months  old  in  her  arms,  Mrs.  Young  and  her 
husband  ran  away  from  Indians  and  took  refuge 
in  Fort  Lee.  They  afterwards  lived  in  Vermont. 
Coming  to  Maine  with  their  thirteen  children,  they 
made  their  home  in  Calais.  Mrs.  Young  being 
left  a  widow,  subsequently  moved  to  Bangor. 

She  inherited  a  highly  religious  nature  from  her 
grandfather,  who  was  a  Baptist  minister.  Her 
own    conversion    was   marked,  and  ever  after  she 


PREACHERS  337 

allowed  no  opportunity  to  pass  without  bearing 
testimony  for  her  Divine  Master.  She  held  meet- 
ings at  her  own  house,  preaching  with  great  fervor 
to  those  who  gladly  accepted  the  invitations  to  her 
spiritual  feasts. 

In  this  pioneer  missionary  work  she  met  with 
opposition,  persistent  and  severe,  from  her  hus- 
band's relatives,  who  were  not  religious.  But  Mrs. 
Young  continued  a  preacher  of  righteousness. 

She  was  gifted  in  song.  At  the  extreme  age  of 
one  hundred  years  she  retained  the  memory  of 
many  of  the  quaint  old  hymns  she  sang  in  her 
youth  and  which  she  continued  to  sing  until  her 
death,  sometimes  singing  all  day  long.  She  enter- 
tained her  many  relatives  on  the  occasion  of  her 
centennial  celebration  by  singing  to  them  one  of 
the  songs  of  her  girlhood. 

She  kept  up  her  daily  avocations  in  spite  of 
increasing  feebleness,  saying  always  "  1  must  do 
my  work  and  care  for  myself  as  long  as  I  can." 
Knitting  became  her  constant  occupation  after 
she  had  given  up  more  active  duties.  It  was  her 
ambition  to  knit  a  rug  for  each  of  her  seven  sons. 
Her  granddaughters  would  pin  her  knitting-safe  to 
her  side  and,  the  dear  old  lady  would  knit  and 
knit.  She  had  completed  one  rug  and  was  work- 
mg  on  the  second  when  the  summons  came  to  fold 


338  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

the  work  and  lay  it  aside  forever.  Until  within 
three  weeks  of  her  death,  she  rose  early  and  com- 
pleted her  own  toilet,  averring  if  she  gave  up  these 
habits,  she  would  become  a  bed-ridden  old  woman, 
and  she  did  not  wish  to  live  after  that.  She  never 
complained  of  pain  or  feebleness,  and  peacefully 
fell  asleep  a  few  months  after  the  family  reunion. 

Almira  Prescott  was  born  in  Gorham  about 
1800.  She  married  Jeremiah  Bullock  and  lived 
in  Limington.  They  were  both  independent 
thinkers,  and  soon  separated  from  the  Free  Baptist 
church  and  established  a  sect  known  as  the  Bul- 
lockites.  They  were  both  ordained  as  preachers, 
and  it  was  not  unusual  for  them  to  occupy  the 
same  pulpit,  one  preaching  in  the  morning  and  the 
other  in  the  afternoon.  They  professed  to  preach 
the  gospel  unadulterated.  They  were  deeply 
spiritual  and  opposed  to  all  innovations. 

Mrs.  Bullock  was  a  handsome  woman,  of  fine 
physique,  with  a  clear  persuasive  voice.  It  was 
her  custom  to  lay  aside  her  bonnet  when  preach- 
ing. This  she  replaced  with  the  little  cap,  una- 
dorned with  ribbon.  She  often  impressed  her  ser- 
mons by  walking  back  and  forth  on  the  platform 
from  which  she  spoke.  Her  public  duties  did  not 
deter  her  from  looking  well   to   the  ways   of  her 


PREACHERS 


339 


household.  She  was  an  old-time  housekeeper,  hos- 
pitable and  mindful  of  the  poor.  Her  three  chil- 
dren were  carefully  reared.  They  are  spoken  of 
as  a  family  of  preachers.  Their  son  Wescott  be- 
came a  famous  preacher  in  the  faith  of  his  father 
and  mother.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bullock  went  about  es- 
tablishing churches,  and  for  this  purpose  journeyed 
in  a  one-horse  chaise.  Their  visits  were  antici- 
pated by  the  children,  who  were  always  attracted 
by  Mrs.  Bullock's  kindly  face.  They  held  meet- 
mgs  in  the  open  air,  in  barns,  or  wherever  an 
opportunity  was  afforded  them  to  proclaim  the 
gospel  as  they  comprehended  it. 

One  of  Mrs.  Bullock's  friends  ventured  to  re- 
mind her  that  it  was  not  necessary  for  her  to  speak 
so  loud  — that  the  Lord  was  not  deaf.  "Ah,"  she 
said,  "but  the  sinners  are;  and  I  must  wake  them 
up. 


FAMOUS    HOSTESSES 


XXVI 
FAMOUS    HOSTESSES 


A  dinner  lubricates  business. 

Lord  Stowell. 


MOLLY  WENTWORTH  married  Jabez 
Ricker,  May  14,  1761.  With  their  ten 
children  they  settled  upon  the  hill  which  bears 
their  name  to-day,  in  1794.  There,  in  the  family 
burying-ground,  they  peacefully  sleep,  having 
experienced  the  varying  changes  of  nearly  a 
century. 

The  family  had  been  familiar  with  the  social  life 
of  Berwick,  which,  at  that  early  day,  was  renowned 
for  its  culture  and  hospitality.  The  lonely  hill, 
with  its  one  frame  house,  was  to  the  girls  a  howling 
wilderness.  Our  sympathy  goes  out  to  them  as  we 
learn  that,  homesick  and  weary  the  night  of  their 
arrival  on  the  hill,  they  sat  about  the  fire  and  wept. 
We  may  be  very  sure  the  mother  found  no  time  for 
tears.     The  next  morning  two   wayworn   travelers 

343 


344  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

knocked  at  her  door.  Mary  Ricker  little  dreamed 
that,  in  sharing  her  family  breakfast  with  them, 
she  was  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  renowned 
hostelry  that  crowns  the  hill  to-day,  the  Poland 
Spring  House. 

Janette  Bolster  was  born  in  Rumford  in  182 1. 
As  a  child,  she  had  the  advantages  of  a  cultured 
home  and  the  training  of  the  best  schools.  While 
yet  young  she  became  a  teacher,  and  proved  herself 
the  true  student  by  continuing  to  pursue  her 
studies  in  literature  and  art  ever  after.  She 
was  a  fine  botanist,  an  excellent  musician,  fond 
of  flowers,  which  were  objects  of  her  loving  care 
through  life. 

She  married  Hiram  Ricker,  and  very  soon  became 
the  popular  hostess  of  the  Mansion  House  on  Ricker 
Hill.  Mrs.  Ricker  was  "to  the  manor  born,"  her 
father's  house  having  been  famous  for  its  hospitality 
to  weary  travelers.  She  soon  developed  great 
executive  ability,  caring  for  the  eight  or  ten  board- 
ers of  that  day  with  very  little  help.  It  was  the 
palatable  dishes  prepared  by  her  own  hands  that 
captivated  her  guests  and  spurred  the  hungry  trav- 
eler to  lengthen  out  his  day's  journey,  that  he 
might  sit  at  her  table. 

Janette  Ricker  was  a  woman  with  a  nature  too 


FAMOUS    HOSTESSES  345 

broad  to  be  limited  by  her  household  walls,  even 
though  her  home  was  a  public  inn.  She  was 
much  sought  after  by  her  sick  neighbors,  who 
recognized  her  skill  in  baffling  disease.  Her  pres- 
ence brought  healing  to  many  sufferers.  Fortunate 
was  the  guest  who  fell  ill  under  her  roof. 

She  was  deeply  interested  in  all  movements  for 
the  uplifting  of  humanity,  especially  for  the  devel- 
ment  of  women. 

Janette  Ricker  gauged  her  guests,  not  by  their 
adornments  and  equipages,  but  by  their  minds  and 
hearts.  From  her  parents  she  inherited  the 
cardinal  virtues,  justice,  prudence,  temperance  and 
fortitude,  which  made  her  strong  in  her  religious 
convictions.  When  fully  convinced  of  the  right, 
she  was  not  easily  turned  from  her  purpose.  She 
was  a  devoted  wife  and  mother,  having  the  love 
and  confidence  of  her  children,  who  revere  her 
memory  to-day.  So  steadfast  was  she  to  all  the 
duties  of  her  home  that,  though  living  in  Poland, 
near  the  lake,  for  forty  years,  she  had  neyer  given 
herself  an  hour  upon  it  until  the  last  summer  of 
her  life. 

She  fell  asleep  September  23,  1883,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two  years,  having  exemplified  all  through 
her  life  that  "happiness  consists  not  in  getting  and 
receiving,  but  in  giving  and  serving." 


346  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Cynthia  Wheeler  Bolster,  the  niother  of  Janette 
Bolster,  was  one  of  the  early  teachers  of  Maine. 
She  came  to  Rumford  from  Concord,  New  Hamp- 
shire, where  she  was  reared  and  educated.  She 
married  General  Alvan  Bolster,  and  was  a  warm 
sympathizer  with  all  his  efforts  for  the  betterment 
of  his  fellow  men.  He  was  an  earnest  advocate  of 
temperance,  and  identified  himself  with  the  Sons 
of  Temperance.  Janette  Bolster  Ricker  was  well 
mothered  and  fathered,  inheriting  her  strong  nature 
from  both  parents. 


AUTHORS 


XXVII 
AUTHORS 


A  verse  mayjind  hint  who  a  sermon  flies. 

George  Herbert, 


THE  Honor  Roll  of  Maine's  sweet  singers 
is  long —  too  long  to  be  repeated  here. 
"  Their  '  lines  '  have  gone  out  through  all  the  earth 
and  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world."  They 
are  not  only  poets  and  writers,  but  they  are 
women  —  whose  worthy  deeds,  should  they  be 
chronicled,  every  one  would  fill  many  volumes. 

The  writer  rejoices  that  one  of  the  indications 
of  the  utility  of  Women's  Clubs  is  the  study  and 
appreciation  of  our  own  writers,  who  have  been 
better  known  to  the  world  outside  than  around 
Maine  hearthstones. 

Of  the  eight  popular  songs  by  American  women, 
four  were  written  by  Maine  women  who  in  litera- 
ture as  in  all  other  lines  of  development,  are  repre- 
sentative women. 

349 


350  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Looking  down  from  the  walls  of  the  library  of 
the  Maine  Historical  Society,  one  may  see  to-day 
beneath  her  high  turban  headdress,  the  benign  face 
of   Madam  Wood. 

Sally  Sayward  Barrell  Keatings  Wood  was  born 
in  1759-  Her  childhood  was  spent  in  York  at  the 
home  of  her  Grandfather  Sayward,  who  ranked 
next  in  wealth  to  Sir  William  Pepperell,  the 
richest  man  in  Maine.  She  was  familiar  with  the 
stories     of    border  warfare   and    Indian    treachery. 

Her  great-great-grandmother  had  been  murdered, 
with  several  of  her  children,  by  the  Indians. 
Another  ancestor,  Hannah  Sayward,  had  been 
carried  a  captive  to  Quebec,  where  she  was  pur- 
chased by  a  noble  French  lady,  who  educated  her 
in  a  nunnery,  of  which  she  afterward  became 
Lady  Abbess. 

Mrs.  Keating  was  naturally  of  a  happy  tempera- 
ment. Her  grandfather  built  a  fine  house  at  York, 
which  he  gave  her  as  a  wedding  present.  Three 
children  came  to  gladden  the  home.  After  four 
short  years,  her  husband  was  stricken  and  died. 

Devoting  herself  to  authorship,  Mrs.  Keating 
became  the  first  writer  of  fiction  in  Maine,  inci- 
dents of  the  period  in  which  she  lived  being  her 
themes. 


AUTHORS  351 

In  1804,  having  resided  with  her  children  at  her 
home  in  York  twenty-one  years,  she  married 
General  Abiel  Wood  and  made  her  home  in  Wis- 
casset,  at  that  time  a  leading  commercial  port. 
Surrounded  by  wealth  and  in  the  society  of  con- 
genial companions,  Mrs.  Wood  continued  her 
literary  work. 

After  the  death  of  General  Wood  she  made  her 
home  in  Portland,  living  in  the  Anderson  house 
on  the  south  side  of  Free  Street.  Here  she  was 
much  respected  and  loved.  During  this  period  of 
her  life  she  published  "Tales  of  a  Night,  by  a  Lady 
of  Maine."  Truly  she  was  a  lady  of  Maine  —  one 
of  Maine's  mothers.  Among  other  published 
works  are  "Julia,"  "The  Spectator,"  and  "The 
Old  Man's  Story." 

Elizabeth  Oakes  Smith,  poet,  mother,  wife  and 
grandmother  of  poets,  is  one  of  the  strong  repre- 
sentative women  of  Maine — a  pioneer  in  many 
lines  of  work.  It  is  claimed  that  she  was  the 
first  woman  in  America  to  stand  upon  a  public 
platform. 

Mrs.  Smith  was  born  in  Portland.  Her  family 
name  was  Prince.  She  died  in  North  Carolina  in 
1893- 


352  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

We  all  love 

The  Same  Old  Song. 

Out  of  the  motherly  heart  it  came, 
Born  of  a  sense  that  mothers  know, 
Rocking  the  baby  to  and  fro, 

Black  or  white  or  bronze  the  hue, 
Always  the  same  sweet  tune  is  heard, 

The  sweetest  song  earth  ever  knew, 
Happy  as  thrill  of  the  nestling  bird. 

Mothers,  content  in  the  twilight  glow 

And  rocking  their  babies  to  and  fro. 

Mothers  out  of  the  mother-heart 

Fashion  a  song  both  sweet  and  low  — 

Always  the  same  dear  mother-art, 
Rocking  the  baby  to  and  fro  ; 

Always  the  lazy,  loving  tone. 

Hummed  in  a  dreamy  undertone. 

Many  have   read  "Stepping    Heavenward"  and 
had  their  soul  blest  by  it.      Those  who  sing  to-day. 

More  love  to  Thee,  O  Christ ! 

More  love  to  Thee  ; 
Hear  Thou  the  prayer  I  make 

On  bending  knee  ; 
This  is  my  earnest  plea. 
More  love,  O  Christ,  to  Thee, 

More  love  to  Thee  ! 

More  love  to  Thee. 

remember    the   song  but  forget  the  singer,  Eliza- 
beth   Payson    Prentiss,    born    in    Portland,    where 


AUTHORS  353 

her  name  is  greatly  revered.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  Rev.  Edward  Payson,  and  received 
careful  training  as  a  child.  She  was  one  of  a 
little  band  of  seven  young  ladies,  who  met  to- 
gether weekly  for  prayer  and  personal  consecra- 
tion. This  band  was  the  nucleus  of  the  ladies' 
prayer-meeting  of  the  Second  Parish  church  at 
the  present  time. 

Miss  Celia  Patten,  one  of  the  leading  philanthro- 
pists in  Portland  to-day,  was  also  one  of  the  band 
of  seven.  She  recalls  that  Miss  Payson  was 
always  ready  to  do  her  part ;  that  she  shrank  from 
no  duty  or  responsibility. 

At  an  early  age  Miss  Payson  began  to  write  for 
the  press.  Her  first  contributions  were  to  the  col- 
umns of  the  Youth's  Companion.  In  1840  she 
accepted  a  position  as  teacher  in  a  school  at  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  where  she  remained  three  years. 
Five  of  the  six  teachers  in  this  school  were  from 
Maine. 

Elizabeth  Payson  was  married  to  Rev.  George 
L.  Prentiss,  April  16,  1845.  Their  first  pastorate 
was  at  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts.  After  six 
years  they  removed  to  Newark,  New  Jersey,  thence 
to  New  York. 

Mrs.  Prentiss  was  a  happy  wife  and  mother,  but 
her    duties  were  not  confined  to    her  home.     To 
23 


354  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

her  people  she  was  not  only  the  pastor's  wife,  but 
also  a  "daughter  of  consolation."  At  her  summer 
home  in  Dorset,  Vermont,  she  gave  weekly  Bible 
readings,  which  were  instructive  and  entertaining 
to  the  women  of  the  scattered  neighborhood,  who 
often  traveled  miles  to  attend  them. 

Elizabeth  Payson  Prentiss  completed  the  jour- 
ney heavenward  August  13,  1878. 

Elizabeth  Akers  Allen  (Florence  Percy),  born 
among  "  The  Happy  Hills  of  Strong,"  has  wan- 
dered the  wide  world  over,  and  sung  many  songs, 
but  never  one  that  has  touched  more  hearts  than 

Backward,  turn  backward,  O  Time,  in  your  flight, 
Make  me  a  child  again  just  for  to-night ! 
Mother,  come  back  from  the  echoless  shore, 
Take  me  again  to  your  lieart  as  of  yore  ; 

Tired  of  the  hollow,  the  base,  the  untrue, 
Mother,  O  mother,  my  heart  calls  for  you  ! 

Come  from  the  silence  so  long  and  so  deep ;  — 
Rock  me  to  sleep,  mother,  —  rock  me  to  sleep  ! 

The  mother  of  Harriet  Prescott  Spofford,  Sarah 
Bridges  Prescott,  is  spoken  of  as  "  a  beautiful, 
proud,  intelligent  girl,  one  of  Nature's  true  nobil- 
ity."    Harriet  was  born  in  Calais.     She  is  remem- 


AUTHORS  355 

bered  by  the  lumbermen  on  the  St.  Croix  River  as 
a  fearless  child,  who  found  great  delight  in  bound- 
ing from  log  to  log,  apparently  unconscious  of  the 
fact  that  a  misstep  would  plunge  her  into  the 
swollen  river. 

What  Harriet  Prescott  Spofford  said  of  another 
may  not  inaptly  apply  to  herself : 

In  her  writing,  in  her  person,  in  her  manner,  in  her  voice,  in 
her  dress,  there  is  a  gracious  and  undefinable  charm. 

Of  Maine,  her  native  state,  she   writes  : 

There  is  to  me  a  poetry  about  her  hills  that  does  not  belong 
to  hills  of  greater  height ;  her  forests  are  darker  and  sweeter 
than  other  woods,  and  I  shall  sail  the  unreturning  voyage 
before  I  forget  the  seas  that  girt  her  coasts  with  their  flashing 
barriers. 

On  the  wild  piping  of  the  autumn  blast 
Float  out,  Old  Glory  ! 

Let  the  sun  kindle  thee  at  morn  and  even 
Where  the  storm-eagles  fly 
In  thy  far  home  and  high, 
Born  of  the  colors  of  the  morning  sky 

And  dipped  in  dyes  of  Heaven. 

There  is  no  beauty  like  thy  lofty  winging. 

Harriet  Prescott  Spofford. 

Miss    Salucia    Abbott    was   for    many    years     a 
teacher  in  Boston  and   Brunswick.      Subsequently 


356  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

she  became  the  amanuensis  of  her  brother  Jacob 
and  reviewed  the  Rollo  Books  at  Few  Acres, 
Farmington.  A  widowed  sister,  Mrs.  Clara 
Abbott  Cutler,  presided  over  the  home.  She  was 
a  woman  of  gentle  manners  and  greatly  loved  by 
all  who  knew  her.  Few  Acres  was  so  suggestive 
of  the  Rollo  Books,  the  Lucy  Books,  and  all  of 
those  wonderful  series  of  Jacob  Abbott !  The 
house  was  quaint  and  attractive,  but  the  rambling 
sheds  and  barn  were  even  more  so.  Scrupulous 
neatness  was  noticeable  everywhere.  There  was 
Lucy's  Loft,  to  which  some  steps  had  been  made 
over  the  woodpile  ;  the  venerable-looking  rocking- 
horse  with  saddle-bags  in  place  ;  the  little  gallery 
made  for  amateur  musicians.  There  were  delight- 
ful surprises  for  children  at  every  turn  about  the 
grounds. 

The  house  was  low,  with  a  large  chimney  in  the 
middle.  There  were  many  rooms  on  the  ground 
floor,  all  connected ;  and  what  made  it  enchanting 
was  that,  as  necessity  required,  new  rooms  had 
been  added  and  bay  windows  thrown  out  here  and 
here.  Mr.  Abbott's  room  was  in  the  long-stretch- 
ing ell. 

The  writer  recalls  her  visits  to  the  venerable 
brother  and  sisters.  There  was  a  peculiar  charm 
in  their  quiet,  genuine  hospitality. 


AUTHORS  357 

Miss  Salucia's  room  was  suggestive  of  rest  and 
comfort,  with  its  broad  Turkish  couch  and  chairs. 
There  was  usually  a  fire  upon  the  hearth.  Her 
bright  andirons  were  the  standard  for  the  polished 
brass  of  the  neighborhood.  Among  the  book- 
cases was  one  containing  only  her  brother  Jacob's 
books,  in  which  she  took  a  sisterly  pride.  As  she 
pointed  them  out  to  the  writer,  Mr.  Abbott,  in  his 
quiet  way,  remarked  that  he  hoped  some  day  to 
look  them  over,  to  see  what  was  in  them. 

Maine  has  no  sweeter  singer  or  more  devoted 
lover  than  Frances  Laughton  Mace,  who  from  her 
home  in  the  s^olden  state  writes  : 

I  would  give  more  for  a  dandelion  from  Maine  than  for  the 
armfuls  of  roses  now  blossoming  in  my  garden. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mace  have  recently  made  for 
themselves  a  new  home  among  the  foothills  of  the 
Santa  Cruz  Mountains.  The  region  is  more 
elevated  than  San  Jose,  and  near  Lyndon  Heights, 
the  home  of  their  only  daughter.  May  Lyndon. 
Mrs.  Mace  writes  of  this  new  home,  July  25,  1S95  : 

I  have  called  the  place  "  Ultima  Thule,"  believing  that  for 
both  my  husband  and  myself  it  would  prove  the  last  and 
farthest  land.  I  am  well  content  to  journey  no  more,  since  I 
have  given  up  all  hope  of  ever  being  well  enough  to  journey 


358  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

again  to  my  own  country.     Now,  "  Only  Waiting,"  will  be  my 
own  watchword. 

Let  me  tell  you  a  little  about  this  last  home  of  mine.  The 
home  is  only  a  cottage,  straw-colored  with  a  red  roof ;  not 
many  nor  large  rooms,  but  two  large,  delightful  verandas. 
From  these  the  view  is  charming.  The  pretty  city  lies  just 
below  us  ;  ten  miles  away  some  spires  showing  from  a  mass  of 
green,  signifying  San  Jose.  The  smooth-rolling  Coast  Range  of 
mountains,  of  which  Mount  Hamilton  is  chief,  is  in  full  view. 
I  sit  out  and  gaze  on  them,  and  they  would  look  beautiful  to 
me  but  that  I  am  gifted  or  doomed  with  a  vision  which  always 
sees  beyond  the  extremest  limit ;  and  so  I  see  three  thousand 
miles  away  and  look  on  the  sparkle  of  Portland  Harbor  and 
the  blue  Penobscot,  and  I  see  beloved  faces  missed  forever 
from  my  life.  I  cannot  forget,  but  I  think  I  shall  find  content 
in  this  pretty  little  home  in  the  hills. 

Mrs.  Mace  was  born  in  Orono.  Her  parents, 
Doctor  and  Mrs.  Laughton,  soon  after  moved  to 
Bangor,  where  they  still  reside.  Here  Mrs.  Mace 
spent  her  girlhood  and  early  married  life. 

The  most  popular  of  Mrs.  Mace's  poems,  the 
one  she  is  singing  in  her  western  home  to-day,  was 
written  in  Maine,  when  only  a  girl  of  eighteen : 

Only  waiting  till  the  shadows 
Are  a  little  longer  grown. 

In  Calais  Mrs.  Fred  Pike  wrote  "  Ida  May." 

Lucy  Larcom  and  Lydia  Maria  Child  spent  part 
of  their  girlhood  in  Maine. 


AUTHORS  359 

Margaret  Fuller  loved  to  visit  among  her  rela- 
tives in  Farmington.  There  was  a  freedom  about 
its  hills  in  harmony  with  her  own  broad  nature. 

So  long  as 

Leaf  by  leaf  the  roses  fall, 

Maine  will  cherish  in  loving  remembrance  the 
name  of  Caroline  Dana  Howe.  Through  the 
great  law  of  recompense 

Many  are  cradled  into  poetry  by  wrong 

And  learn  in  suffering  what  they  teach  in  song. 

Mrs.  Howe  says  of  "  Leaf  by  Leaf  the  Roses 
Fall : " 

It  was  written  in  Boston  in  1856,  while  under  the  shadow  of 
a  great  affliction. 

The  inspiration  came  to  her  as  she  watched  the 
dropping  of  the  rose  petals  in  her  friend's  garden. 
Lying  moldering  in  the  flower-bed,  they  were 
suggestive  only  of  decay  ;  but  Mrs.  Howe's  pro- 
phetic eye  saw  that  what  seemed  decay  was  transi- 
tion. The  fallen  rose  leaves  were  enriching  the 
soil  for  a  brighter  bloom.  Out  of  the  ashes  of  her 
own  heart  there  flamed  up 

We  shall  find  some  hope  that  lies 

Like  a  silent  germ  apart, 
Hidden  far  from  careless  eyes 

In  the  garden  of  the  heart, 


360  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

and  thus  was  ushered  in  one  of  the  heart-songs 
that  will  never  die.  In  its  appeal  to  other  hearts 
it  will  ring  on  adown  the  ages,  awaking 

Some  sweet  hope  that  breathes  of  spring, 

Through  the  weary,  weary  time, 
Budding  for  its  blossoming 

In  the  spirit's  silent  clime. 

Mrs.  Howe  was  born  in  Fryeburg.  She  now 
lives  in  Portland,  where  she  has  spent  the  greater 
part  of  her  life.  She  has  for  many  years  been 
identified  with  the  literary  work  of  the  city.  Her 
ready  pen,  intelligent  criticism,  keen  wit  and  kindly 
heart,  make  her  a  favorite  with  all  circles.  Young 
writers  find  in  her  a  helpful  friend.  Mrs.  Howe  is 
much  sought  after  by  her  lady  friends,  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Portland,  who  often  claim  her  for  a  week, 
making  their  homes  centers  for  literary  gatherings 
during  her  visit.  Many  happy  groups  have  been 
entertained  and  instructed  by  the  vivid  and  inter- 
esting recitals  of  her  own  experiences.  Boys  can 
have  no  more  delightful  entertainment  than  Mrs. 
Howe's  personal  reminiscences  of  army  life.  She 
was  one  of  the  only  party  of  women  allowed  to  go 
to  the  front  during  the  late  war. 

Mrs.  Howe  is  a  busy  woman  ;  has  written  much 
more  than  she  has  published.     Many  of  her  songs 


AUTHORS  361 

have  been  set  to  music.  She  cherishes  among  her 
personal  friends  many  of  the  literary  people  of 
America.  She  was  presented  with  the  favorite 
pen  of  Whittier,  as  a  testimony  of  the  friendship 
between  them. 

Laura  Elizabeth  Howe  Richards,  the  daughter 
of  Julia  Ward  and  Samuel  Gridley  Howe,  was  born 
in  Boston.  She  was  named  for  Laura  Bridgman. 
A  part  of  her  babyhood  was  spent  in  Rome,  She 
was  a  lovely  child  with  a  tendency  toward  litera- 
ture; was  educated  in  the  private  schools  of 
Boston.  Being  a  natural  reader,  she  was  often 
called  upon  to  repeat  ballads  for  the  entertainment 
of  her  school  and  home  friends. 

The  children  of  Julia  Ward  and  Samuel  G. 
Howe  were  started  early  in  philanthrophy.  When 
a  girl  of  seventeen,  Laura  was  taken  by  her  mother 
to  Greece,  where  her  father  and  older  sister  were 
laboring  in  behalf  of  the  Cretans.  Her  letters 
written  home  were  so  thrilling  that  her  sister,  now 
Mrs.  Hall,  immediately  collected  five  hundred 
dollars  for  the  sufferers.  On  the  return  of  Laura 
and  her  mother,  by  means  of  a  fair  which  they 
inaugurated,  eighteen  thousand  dollars  were  raised 
and  forwarded  for  the  relief  of  the  persecuted 
Cretans. 


362  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Laura  Howe  was  married  to  Henry  Richards  in 
1871.  After  residing  in  Boston  a  few  years,  they 
came  to  live  in  Gardiner.  Here  in  the  home  of 
Mr.  Richard's  maternal  ancestors,  Mrs.  Richards 
is  best  known  and  loved  to-day.  She  is  the  mother 
of  six  children.  To  the  manner  born,  it  has  been 
her  pleasure  to  gather  about  her  students  interested 
in  literary  culture.  To  her  happy  home  the  boys 
flock,  sure  of  a  welcome  and  sympathy  that  only  a 
loving  mother-heart  can  give.  Many  of  her 
nursery  lullabies  and  merry  jingles  have  cheered 
and  blessed  other  homes  through  the  columns  of 
the  St.  Nicholas.  "  Capt.  January"  Series  and 
the  Hildegarde  Books  have  been  the  delight  of 
boys  and  girls. 

Sarah  Orne  Jewett,  whose  charming  books  are 

read  by  all  lovers  of  fine  literature,  has  preserved 

for  the  future  student  many  delightful  pictures  of 

her  native  Berwick  in  the  olden  time. 

The  settlers  on  the  Piscataqua  knew  what  was  going  on  in 
the  world.  They  bought  the  best  books  and  knew  the  best 
men  in  other  places  and  lived  handsomely  at  home. 

Miss  Julia  H.  May  has  recently  given  to  the 
world  "  Songs  from  the  Woods  of  Maine,"  aromatic 
with  the  fragrance  of  the  pine,  resonant  with  the 
babbling  brook,  and  pregnant  with  lessons  of  faith 


AUTHORS  363 

and  hope  and  love.  Born  at  Strong,  the  daughter 
of  a  clergyman,  she  was  carefully  educated,  inher- 
iting from  both  parents  her  highly  poetic  nature. 
After  graduating  from  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary, 
she  taught  in  Kentucky  eight  years. 

Associated  with  her  sister,  Miss  Sarah  R.  May, 
she  founded  the  Wendall  Institute  at  Farmington, 
which  had  a  successful  career  of  thirteen  years, 
embracing  among  its  students  young  men  and 
women  from  all  parts  of  the  state.  Subsequently 
the  sisters  were  induced  to  move  their  school  to 
Strong,  where  it  was  known  as  the  May  School. 
To  the  home  of  their  girlhood  they  were  most 
cordially  welcomed.  A  schoolhouse  was  built  for 
them  on  the  home  lot  near  the  little  parsonage, 
and  here  the  school  grew  and  flourished. 

Many  of  Miss  May's  saddest,  sweetest  songs 
have  been  written  in  memory  of  her  sister,  whose 
death  in  1888,  left  her  stricken  with  grief. 

Miss  May  spends  her  summers  in  Strong,  where 
she  delights  to  entertain  the  many  friends  who 
visit  her  The  white  parsonage,  with  its  green 
blinds  and  massive  chimney  in  the  center,  is  nestled 
among  the  lofty  elms  that  tower  above  it  in  front. 
The  broad  grounds  surrounded  by  trees,  stretch 
behind  it  to  the  river  bank,  where  a  descending 
path  winds  far  down  to  the  little  stream  of  water 


364  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

that  ripples  over  the  rocks  as  it  hastens  on  to  join 
the  Sandy  River,  the  pride  of  the  beautiful  valley. 
On  the  almost  precipitous  sides  of  the  bank  grows 
one  of  the  monarchs  of  the  Maine  forests  —  a  vener- 
able pine,  in  vi^hose  top  the  "  century-living  crow," 
through  many  successive  centuries,  "has  grown  old 
and  died ; "  beneath  its  shade,  Pierpole  gathered 
his  dusky  warriors;  on  its  spreading  branches  the 
cradles  of  many  generations  of  Indian  babies  have 
swung.  Still  verdant,  surrounded  by  a  miniature 
forest,  the  old  pine  points  its  needles  heavenward 
and  imparts  its  fragrance.  On  a  platform  over- 
hanging the  edge  of  the  bluff.  Miss  May  has  her 
retreat,  and  here  many  of  her  poems,  so  near  to 
nature's  heart,  have  been  written.  Through  the 
opening  in  the  trees  her  favorite  Mount  Abram 
can  be  seen.  One  of  the  most  popular  of  Miss 
May's  poems  —  one  that  has  touched  many  home- 
sick hearts  —  is  "  O  Wanderers  of  Maine." 

O  Wanderer  from  the  land  of  Maine !  the  perfume  of  the  pine 

Is  mingled  with    your  memory  —  Her  violet  vales  entwine 

Memorial    wreaths  —  She  calls   for   you  —  O  must  she   call  in 
vain  ? 

Come  back,  your  mother  longs  for  you,  O  Wanderers  of  Maine. 

To-day  Miss  May  is  making  the  world  brighter 
and  better  through  her  pen. 


PHILANTHROPISTS 


XXVIII 
PHILANTHROPISTS 

Meek  and  lowly,  pure  and  holy. 

Chief  among  the  "  Blessed  Three  ;  " 
Turning  sadness  into  gladness 

Heav'71-born  art  thou.  Charity. 

NO  woman  in  Bangor  is  better  known  to-day, 
more  respected  by  those  associated  with 
her  in  the  various  charities  of  the  city,  or  more 
tenderly  loved  by  the  deserving  poor,  than  Mrs. 
Caroline  Rogers  Mason.  Her  family  name  is 
Fairfield.  She  was  born  April  3,  18 18,  at  Nor- 
ridgewock.  In  this  beautiful  village  on  the  banks 
of  the  Kennebec  her  childhood  was  spent.  She 
had  the  advantages  of  a  careful  home  training  and 
of  the  schools  of  her  native  town.  Later  she 
studied  at  Waterville  in  the  school  now  known  as 
the  Classical  Institute. 

Her  life-work  was  foreshadowed  in  her  girlhood. 
Associating  herself  with  two  companions,  she  con- 

367 


368  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

ducted  a  Sunday-school,  and  on  the  afternoons  of 
Wednesday  and  Saturday  a  day  school  for  chil- 
dren who  lived  in  the  poor  locality  known  as  the 
Plains,  now  the   French  settlement  of  Waterville. 

By  the  removal  of  her  family  to  Bangor  in  1837, 
she  became  a  resident  of  that  city.  In  1840,  the 
last  day  of  the  year,  she  was  married  to  John  C. 
Dexter  of  Boston.  Of  her  two  children  by  this 
marriage,  a  son  died  in  infancy  and  a  daughter, 
Mrs.  Edwin  B.  Patten,  now  resides  in  Minneapolis. 
In  1847  she  became  the  wife  of  Doctor  John 
Mason  of  Bangor,  where  she  now  resides  with 
her  three  sons. 

During  her  early  married  life,  engrossing  family 
cares  and  domestic  duties  prevented  Mrs.  Mason 
taking  an  active  part  in  organized  charitable  work, 
but  she  was  a  frequent  and  welcome  visitor  at  the 
bedside  of  the  sick  and  in  the  homes  of  the  poor 
and  unfortunate.  She  was  a  most  energetic  and 
efficient  participant  in  the  work  of  the  Sanitary 
Commission  during  the  late  Civil  War. 

Mrs.  Mason  has  been  vice-president  of  the 
Home  for  Aged  Women  since  January,  1873,  that 
being  the  highest  office  in  that  institution  held  by 
a  woman.  Since  1846  she  has  been  associated  in 
the  work  of  the  Unitarian  Benevolent  Society,  an 
organization  that  has  done  a  vast  amount  of  good 


PHILANTHROPISTS  369 

among  the  poor,  and  for  the  past  twenty-two  years 
she  has  had  the  direct  charge  of  the  same,  accept- 
ing the  presidency  in  1873. 

The  Society  of  Associated  Charities  was  or- 
ganized in  1886.  At  its  sixth  annual  meeting 
Mrs.  Mason  was  unanimously  chosen  president,  an 
office  which  she  still  fills  with  signal  ability.  She 
has  also  been  for  many  years  vice-president  of  the 
Female  Charitable  Society,  one  of  the  oldest  or- 
ganizations in  Bangor. 

A  woman  of  exceptional  intellectual  gifts,  a 
keen  judge  of  human  nature,  of  broad  and  gen- 
erous sympathies,  possessing  a  fine  tact  and  del- 
icacy of  feeling,  united  to  sterling  common  sense, 
Mrs.  Mason  is  peculiarly  fitted  for  a  leader  in 
the  work  of  philanthrophy,  to  which  she  has 
devoted  so  large  a  portion  of  her  time,  strength 
and  means. 

In  Yarmouth  lived  Mrs.  Olive  True  Stock - 
bridge,  the  ancestor  of  one  of  Maine's  sweet  sing- 
ers, Annie  Louise  Cary. 

Her  bounty  had  no  winter  in  it, 
An  autumn  't  was  that  grew  the  more  for  reaping. 

She  had  distributed  to  the  poor  the  greater  part 
of  the  new   barrel  of  beef.     When  questioned   by 

24 


370  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

her  husband  in  regard  to  its  rapid  disappearance, 
she  repHed,  "  It  has  all  been  eaten." 

One  may  read  upon  her  monument  to-day,  "  This 
woman  was  full  of  good  works  and  almsdeeds  that 
she  did." 

Upon  the  honor  roll  of  the  Maine  women  who 
were  messengers  of  light  and  mercy  to  the  sick 
and  wounded  soldiers,  during  the  Civil  War, 
should  be  written  the  name  of  Sarah  E.  Palmer. 

Under  the  superintendence  of  Dorothea  L.  Dix, 
she  continued  in  the  service  as  army  nurse  during 
the  war.  She  then  accepted  the  position  of  ma- 
tron in  the  hospital  for  the  insane  at  Trenton, 
New  Jersey.  Here  she  remained  three  years, 
devoting  herself  unweariedly  to  the  care  and  com- 
fort of  this  unfortunate  class  of  humanity.  Sub- 
sequently she  returned  to  her  home  in  Dover, 
where  in  her  childhood  and  early  womanhood  she 
had  enjoyed  excellent  educational  advantages, 
which  had  fitted  her  for  the  arduous  duties  so 
faithfully  discharged.  She  still  continued  her 
charities,  conducting  her  business  affairs  economi- 
cally that  she  might  have  wherewith  to  help  others. 
She  was  a  woman  of  superior  physical  and  mental 
powers.  Her  death  occurred  at  Dover,  January, 
19,  1894. 


PHILANTHROPISTS  37I 

The  following  sketch  is  from  the  pen  of  Mrs. 
Harriet  Park  Keyes,  herself  a  philanthropist,  con- 
stantly doing  good  in  beautiful  ways.  She  is 
known  throughout  the  state  for  her  scholarly  at- 
tainments. As  preceptress  at  Kent's  Hill,  she 
greatly  endeared  herself  to  the  young  people  of 
Maine.  As  the  wife  of  Captain  Charles  Keyes, 
she  assisted  in  the  editorship  of  the  Farmington 
Chronicle.  She  has  a  legal  mind  and  ready  pen, 
and  has  won  many  honors  in  the  editorial  chair. 
She  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Women's  Christian 
Temperance  Union  and  in  women's  clubs.  She 
was  the  first  president  of  the  Monday  Club,  Far- 
mington, one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  State 
Federation : 

"  Miss  Hannah  Peabody,  a  daughter  of  Doctor 
William  Peabody  of  Corinth,  Maine,  and  a  cousin 
of  George  Peabody,  the  philanthropist,  had  a  most 
interesting  career.  For  half  a  century  or  more, 
she  was  devoted  to  missionary  work,  which,  in  a 
smaller  way,  was  closely  akin  to  that  her  famous 
relative  bestowed  so  many  millions  to  advance. 
It  is  told  as  an  incident  of  her  girlhood  and  as 
characteristic  of  her  executive  ability,  that  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  she  safely  piloted  a  vessel  through 
the  Isles  of  Shoals.  She  was  a  passenger  on  the 
vessel,  and  at  an  inopportune  moment  the  captain 


372  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

fell  ill.  As  nobody  else  on  board  knew  the  pas- 
sage, the  brave  girl  gave  the  directions  in  her 
non  nautical  terms,  and  the  vessel  was  run  safely 
through. 

"  In  1828,  Miss  Peabody  sailed  for  Chile  with  the 
purpose  of  teaching  and  doing  what  missionary 
labor  she  could.  Zealous  in  the  religion  of  her 
ancestors,  she  carried  with  her  a  joint  supply  of 
schoolbooks  and  Bibles.  Owing  to  mutiny  on 
the  ship  she  did  not  reach  Chile,  but  found  herself 
landed,  a  total  stranger,  on  the  island  of  St. 
Catherine,  off  the  coast  of  Brazil.  Thence  she 
made  her  way  to  Montevideo  and  to  the  countries 
of  the  River  Platte.  She  was  extremely  successful 
as  a  teacher  at  several  points  in  Uraguay  and 
Buenos  Ayres,  and  finally  established  herself  in 
Gualeguaychu,  a  town  in  the  Province  of  Entre 
Rios,  in  the  Argentine  Republic.  During  her 
earlier  years  of  teaching.  Miss  Peabody  spent  all 
her  surplus  earnings  in  opening  schools  and  in 
distributing  Bibles,  both  in  Spanish  and  English, 
among  the  poor  people  who  were  destitute  of 
them.  She  taught  much  without  pay,  aside  from 
her  regular  school  duties.  Her  old  age  found  her 
with  very  little  of  this  world's  goods,  dependent 
mainly  on  the  generous  assistance  of  English 
ladies  residing:  in  Entre  Rios.     It  is  believed  that 


PHILANTHROPISTS  373 

had  her  cousin,  George  Peabody,  known  her  cir- 
cumstances, he  would  have  made  ample  provision 
for  her  last  days.  After  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life, 
she  retained  her  mental  and  physical  powers  to  a 
remarkable  degree,  and  always  cherished  the  hope 
that  she  might  live  to  see  Yankee  progressiveness 
introduced  into  the  Argentine  Republic,  and  the 
manufacture  of  cotton  goods  carried  on  as  in  her 
native  New  England." 

Mrs.  Wooster  Parker  of  Belfast,  is  a  represen- 
tative Maine  mother,  well  known  throughout  her 
long  life  for  her  deeds  of  mercy.  She  is  to-day 
still  active.  A  careful  student  of  human  nature, 
the  younger  philanthropists  find  in  her  a  safe 
counselor. 

The  daughter  of  Rev.  Enoch  Pond,  D.  D.,  so 
well  and  favorably  known  in  connection  with  the 
history  of  the  Bangor  Theological  Seminary,  Miss 
Pond  was  well  fitted  by  theory  and  practice  to 
assume  the  duties  of  a  misister's  wife.  She  mar- 
ried Rev.  Wooster  Parker.  Their  first  pastorate 
was  at  Foxcroft.  They  subsequently  settled  over 
the  North  Congregational  church  of   Belfast. 

Mrs.  Wooster  is  a  woman  of  vigorous  intellect, 
and  identifies  herself  with  every  movement  for  the 
advancement    of  temperance,    philanthrophy    and 


374  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

the  church.  She  has  many  of  the  qualities  that 
make  her  a  natural  leader  among  women.  Hav- 
ing the  courage  of  her  convictions,  she  is  a 
terror  to  Sabbath-breakers  and  evil-doers.  She  is 
not  afraid  to  rise  up  and  condemn  their  evil  prac- 
tices. By  her  church  and  by  those  associated  with 
her  in  the  various  lines  of  philanthropic  work, 
Mrs.  Wooster  is  greatly  beloved.  She  is  respected 
by  the  young,  for  whose  entertainment  and  growth 
in  true  nobility  of  character  she  has  always  mani- 
fested a  deep  interest.  All  her  life  she  has  been 
a  practical  housekeeper  of  the  genuine  old-fash- 
ioned type.  In  the  loving  devotion  of  her  only 
son,  the  Rev.  Doctor  Parker  of  Hartford,  Connec- 
ticut, is  exemplified  the  careful  training  of  a  wise 
mother. 

There  is  no  name  of  sweeter  or  more  honored 
memory,  among  the  mothers  of  Portland,  than  that 
of  Mrs.  Ellen  Merrill  Barstow.  She  was  born  in 
Newburyport,  in  1807,  and  was  the  daughter  of 
Colonel  Paul  Merrill  and  Eleanor  Stevens.  She 
was  early  married  to  George  S.  Barstow  of  Port- 
land, and  in  taking  up  a  residence  in  this  city, 
became  identified  with  its  charities,  and  interested 
in  its  good  works.  She  was  one  of  the  early  mana- 
gers   of    the  Samaritan,    Martha  Washington  and 


PHILANTHROPISTS  375 

Home  for  Aged  Women  Associations.  In  her 
public,  as  well  as  private  charities,  she  combined 
with  her  executive  ability,  such  rare  tact,  warm 
sympathy  and  gentleness  of  manner  as  to  call  out 
the  expression  at  the  time  of  her  decease,  "  the 
poor  of  the  city  have  lost  their  best  friend." 

She  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  First  Uni- 
versalist  society  after  her  marriage,  became  a 
zealous  worker  for  the  church,  and  was  for  many 
years  a  devoted  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school,  help- 
ing in  all  ways  to  make  it  a  power  for  good  for  the 
young  people  of  the  city.  Many  of  her  literary 
productions  were  written  in  the  interest  of  the 
Sunday-school.  "  The  Mission  of  the  Fairies,  "  a 
charming  operetta,  was  written  by  her  to  aid  the 
library  of  the  school,  and  has  been  a  very  popular 
production.  Mrs.  Barstow  was  an  active  worker  in 
the  Sanitary  Commission  at  the  time  of  the  Civil 
War,  and  was  most  efficient  in  her  aid  to  the  home- 
less and  needy,  after  the  great  fire  in  Portland  in 
1866,  notwithstanding  that  she  herself,  was  a  suf- 
ferer, having  lost  her  home  in  that  terrible  holo- 
caust. Whatever  the  occasion,  whether  a  public 
calamity,  or  a  case  of  private  distress,  she  was  ever 
ready  to  respond  with  her  sympathy,  her  service 
and  her  pen,  for  its  relief.  In  events  of  the  city's 
rejoicing,   she    was  equally  ready    to  share  in   the 


376  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

enthusiasm,  and  to  celebrate  with  her  pen  what 
was  uppermost  in  all  hearts.  On  the  return  of  the 
2oth  and  17th  Maine  Regiments,  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  she  wrote  a  spirited  poem,  which  was  read  at 
one  of  their  anniversary  celebrations  in  City  Hall. 
With  all  her  domestic  and  home  virtues,  Mrs. 
Barstow  believed  that  a  woman's  sphere  should  not 
be  restricted,  and  could  not  be  except  by  her  own 
capacity,  for  whatever  a  woman  had  the  ability  or 
the  gifts  to  do,  would  find  expression.  This  was 
exemplified  in  her  own  life,  for  with  all  the  domes- 
tic cares  incident  to  rearing  a  large  family  of 
children,  she  found  time  for  literary  as  well  as  for 
public  work.  The  literary  work  she  was  especially 
fitted  for  bv  nature  and  culture,  and  as  has  been 
said  of  Mrs.  Stowe,  Mrs.  Barstow  wrote  and  studied 
while  rocking  the  cradle.  She  composed  stories 
and  poems  for  the  papers  and  magazines,  and  the 
readers  of  the  Portland  Transcript  cordially  wel- 
comed the  articles  in  its  columns  from  her  graceful 
pen.  Her  style  was  natural  and  easy,  and  besides 
her  lighter  stories  for  children  and  her  charming 
poems,  she  composed  much  of  a  deeply  earnest 
and  religious  nature.  Her  reading  was  extensive, 
and  she  was  abreast  of  the  times  on  all  the  impor- 
tant and  serious  questions  of  the  day.  In  her 
domestic    life,    in    her  humanitarian  interests,  her 


PHILANTHROPISTS  377 

public  work,  her  poetic  and  literary  talent,  her 
religious  life,  her  well-rounded  and  beautiful 
character,  we  have  reason  to  revere  the  memory 
of  one  of  the  noblest  of  the  mothers  of  Maine. 
Her  daughters  worthily  exemplify  their  mother's 
teaching.  All  are  women  of  culture  and  imbued 
with  the  philanthropic  spirit. 

Mrs.  Susan  E.  Bragdon  was  the  first  president 
of  the  Women's  Literary  Union  of  Portland. 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  McGregor  is  known  in  connection 
with  the  child-saving  work  of  the  state. 

Mrs.  Augusta  M.  Hunt  is  a  graceful  speaker, 
and  is  identified  with  various  educational  and  phil- 
anthropic institutions.  As  president  of  the  Home 
for  Aged  Women,  of  the  Women's  Christian  Tem- 
perance Union,  and  of  the  Ladies'  History  Club, 
she  has  proved  herself  a  wise  and  efficient  leader. 

Mrs.  Abigail  R.  Prentiss,  or  Madam  Prentiss 
as  she  is  usually  called,  has  been  identified  with 
the  charities  of  Bangor  many  years.  Her  parents, 
Samuel  and  Polly  Rawson,  came  from  Massachu- 
setts to  Paris,  where  Abigail  Adams  Rawson  was 
born,  February  5,  181 1.  She  was  a  vigorous  in- 
fant, having  run  off  on  her  feet  when  she  was  only 
nine  months  old. 

In   the    pure  air    of  her  native  hills,  under  the 


3/8  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

guidance  of  a  wise  mother,  she  grew  to  woman- 
hood possessed  of  a  strong,  sound  mind  in  a  sound 
body.  She  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
her  native  town  in  the  same  classes  with  Hannibal 
Hamlin  and  his  sisters.  She  had  the  advantages 
of  Miss  Gurley's  school  for  young  ladies  in  Port- 
land, and  found  in  her  visits  to  Boston  and  New 
York,  much  to  broaden  and  strengthen  her  recep- 
tive mind. 

In  1836  she  married  Henry  E.  Prentiss,  a  young 
lawyer  of  her  native  town.  After  living  a  few 
years  in  Old  Town  and  Stillwater,  they  settled  at 
Bangor  in  1840.  Mr.  Prentiss  was  a  genial,  cul- 
tured man.  Educated  at  West  Point,  he  was  a 
master  of  mathematics  and  civil  engineering.  He 
was  a  devoted  lover  of  literature,  and  interested  in 
all  that  pertained  to  the  ethical  culture  of  the 
community. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prentiss  were  united  in  the  bond 
of  a  philanthropic  spirit.  They  believed  that  so- 
cial rule  the  best  which  should  result  in  the  great- 
est happiness  to  the  greatest  number;  both  loved 
nature  better  than  art,  and  simple  principles  better 
than  ingenious  sophistry.  For  twenty-five  years 
and  more,  Mrs.  Prentiss  kept  close  to  the  demands 
of  domestic  duties,  refreshing  herself  with  an  occa- 
sional lecture  or  opera,  and  always  with  the  culti- 


PHILANTHROPISTS  379 

vation  of  flowers.  She  held  herself  ready  to  help 
a  sick  neighbor,  or  to  send  for  an  engine  if  her 
neighbor's  house  caught  fire;  but  she  would  never 
keep  a  careful  list  of  callers,  nor  allow  herself  to 
be  appointed  to  any  public  function. 

After  the  death  of  her  husband  she  began  to 
have  time  to  spare. 

Antislavery  and  temperance  had  perhaps  been 
the  two  great  causes  which  she  had  most  warmly 
embraced.  After  the  formation  of  the  Ladies' 
Crusade  against  intemperance,  it  was  but  natural 
that  she  should  throw  herself  heart  and  soul  into 
the  work.  With  this  she  has  been  identified  for 
twenty  years,  a  part  of  the  time  being  its  president. 
Her  hand  has  never  been  withheld  from  any  good 
cause,  religious,  benevolent  or  educational. 

She  continues  to  act  on  the  board  of  the  Chil- 
dren's Home,  on  which  she  has  served  many  years, 
taking  to  her  mother-heart  the  friendless  waifs. 
Four  of  Mrs.  Prentiss'  children  live  to  cheer  and 
comfort  her.  Not  these  alone,  however,  call  her 
"  mother."  Others  still  have  called  her  so  in  years 
long  gone  by. 


HANNAH  TOBEY  SHAPLEIGH 
FARMER 


XXIX 
HANNAH  TOBEY  SHAPLEIGH  FARMER 

Whichever  way  the  wind  doth  blow 
Some  heart  is  glad  to  have  it  so. 
Then  biota  it  east  or  blow  it  west 
The  wind  that  blows,  that  wind  is  best. 

Caroline  Mason. 


HANNAH  FARMER  was  the  evolution  of 
eight  generations  of  worthy  Maine  mothers. 
From  Dorcas  Bartlett  she  inherited  courage  and 
self-sacrifice.  This  brave  pioneer  was  a  martyr 
to  Indian  treachery.  She  was  shot  while  riding 
from  church  on  a  pillion  behind  her  husband. 
Knowing  that  she  was  mortally  wounded,  as  she 
fell  from  the  horse,  she  urged  her  husband,  for  the 
sake  of  the  children,  to  hasten  on  unmindful  of  her. 
She  died  heroically,  pleading  for  the  safety  of  her 
loved  ones. 

The     grandmother    of    Mrs.     Farmer,     Hannah 
Shapleigh  Tobey,  was  a  representative  woman  of 

383 


384  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

her  time,  exemplifying  in  her  beautiful  life  many 
of  the  domestic  and  civic  virtues. 

When  a  child  of  only  eight  years  of  age,  her 
mother,  being  somewhat  of  an  invalid  and  her 
father  obliged  to  go  from  home  for  military  service, 
she  was  entrusted  with  the  care  of  fourteen  cows  — 
with  the  promise  of  a  present  on  her  father's  return. 
The  little  girl  faithfully  tended  the  cows  and  was 
rewarded  for  all  her  labor  with  one  yard  of  red 
ribbon.  She  assured  her  granddaughter  years 
afterward  that  no  child  was  ever  more  delighted 
than  she,  for  no  other  little  girl  had  such  a  treasure. 
Imported  goods  were  not  even  dreamed  of  in  those 
days  on  the  Shapleigh  farm.  She  had  many  thrill- 
ing experiences  during  her  girlhood,  as  she  jour- 
neyed alone  on  horseback  through  the  forests  of 
Eliot. 

She  married  James  Tobey,  and  in  their  sun- 
shiny home  on  the  banks  of  the  Piscataqua,  they 
found  great  joy  in  living,  as  one  by  one  there  came 
to  them  seven  children.  They  were  all  lovers  of 
song,  and  even  in  advanced  life  the  mother  and 
her  three  wedded  daughters  were  all  members  of 
the  village  choir. 

Olive  Tobey,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Farmer,  was 
born    in    Eliot    in    1794.     She    married     Richard 


HANNAH  TOBEY  SHAPLEIGH  FARMER        385 

Shapleigh  and  lived  for  a  short  time  at  Blackberry 
Hi]].  Later  tliey  made  their  home  at  Great  Falls, 
where  their  three  daughters,  Mary,  Elizabeth  and 
Hannah,  were  born. 

Hannah  Tobey  Shapleigh  Farmer,  the  daughter 
of    Olive    and    Richard    Shapleigh,    inherited    her 
broad  nature  and  bright,  cheerful  spirit  from  both 
parents.     No  more  fitting  tribute  has  been  offered 
to    any    Maine  mother  than  the  beautiful   volume 
published  to  the  memory  of  Hannah  Farmer  by  her 
devoted  daughter,  Sarah  Farmer,  upon   whom  the 
mantles   of    heroic    women,    through    eight    o-ener- 
ations,  have  fallen.     Hannah  Tobey  entered  upon 
her  married  life  with  the  same  spirit   of   devotion 
that    characterized     all     her    future.     While     the 
bridal     party    were    assembling    in    the    parlor    of 
her  home,  in  the  chamber  above  it  she  and  Moses 
Gerrish  Farmer  were  kneeling  in  prayer  for   God's 
blessing  upon  the  vows  they  were  about   to   take 
upon    themselves     and    which    they    so    faithfully 
fulfilled.     Only  a  few  days  after  her  marriage,   Mrs. 
Farmer    identified    herself    with     the     Antislavery 
Society.     Her   home    at   Dover,  New    Hampshire, 
soon    became  a  way  station    of    the    underground 
railroad.     Here  the  fugitive  man  or  woman  found 
refuge  and  a  "Godspeed"  over  the   Canadian    line. 
25 


386  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Hannah  Farmer  wrote  of  her  married  life: 

There  is  something  so  precious  in  the  daily  communion  of 
husband  and  wife,  I  often  feel  that  the  land  to  which  we  are 
going  can  have  for  me.  no  purer  joy  than  I  have  known  in  this 
sanctified  relation.  Woman  is  the  presiding  angel  of  her 
home.  Her  unseen  influence  there  is  more  than  all  pulpits  in 
the  land. 

Mrs.  Farmer,  through  a  life  of  almost  uninter- 
rupted invalidism,  kept  herself  in  touch  with  the 
busy  world  outside  of  her  home.  When  the 
Rebellion  broke  out,  having  been  bereft  of  her  only 
son,  she  said: 

I  have  no  son  to  give ;  I  give  myself.  With  God's  help  I 
will  no  longer  live  for  myself.  I  consecrate  all  that  I  have 
been,  am,  or  ever  hope  to  be,  to  my  country's  service. 

Mrs.  Farmer  identified  herself  with  every  move- 
ment for  the  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the 
brave  boys  in  blue.  The  dying  benediction  of 
many  a  soldier  was,  "God  bless  Mrs.  Farmer!" 

By  means  of  the  May  Day  Fair  which  she  in- 
augurated and  superintended  from  her  sick  bed  in 
Eden  Home,  Salem,  Massachusetts,  she  was  able  to 
place  twelve  hundred  dollars  at  the  disposal  of  the 
committee  for  the  relief  of  the  suffering  soldiers. 
Other  fairs  followed.  She  continued  in  her  work  of 
love  to  the  close  of  the  war,  writing  many  letters  to 


HANNAH  TOBEY  SHAPLEIGH  FARMER        38/ 

the  sick  in  hospitals.  It  was  her  custom  from  the 
first,  when  she  learned  that  regiments  from  Maine 
were  to  pass  through  Salem,  to  send  the  children 
with  flowers  and  kindly  messages  to  distribute  to 
them  as  the  train  waited  at  the  crossin<j.  The 
children  delighted  to  gather  the  flowers  and  bring 
them  to  Mrs.  Farmer's  sick-room,  where  they 
together  arranged  them  in  suitable  bouquets.  It 
was  a  little  thing  to  give  to  a  soldier  a  simple  flower, 
yet  many  of  these  were  cherished  as  a  testimony 
that  loving  hearts  followed  them  on  their  perilous 
mission. 

The  story  of  Hannah  Farmer,  in  the  preservation 
of  the  Old  South  Meeting-house,  should  be  told  by 
every  lover  of  that  sacred  shrine.  Mrs.  Farmer 
remembered  that  Mary  Norton,  the  wife  of  Rev. 
John  Norton,  in  1699,  bequeathed  a  part  of  her 
estate  "for  the  erecting  of  a  house  for  the  assem- 
bling of  the  people  together  for  the  worship  of 
God,"  and  she  added:  "for  no  other  intent,  use  or 
purpose  whatsoever."  And  for  no  other  purpose 
was  Mrs.  Farmer  willing  it  should  be  defiled. 
When  Mrs.  Farmer  learned  that  the  parish,  in 
1876,  gave  over  the  property  for  other  purposes, 
her  soul  burned  within  her.  She  determined  to 
make  an  effort  to  save  the  ancient  temple.  Her 
family  remonstrated,  but  as  she  mused,  the  fire 
burned. 


388  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

She  wrote  to  the  committee  having  the  matter 
in  charoe:  "The  Old  South  Meetino-house  and  the 
land  on  which  it  is  built  is  God's."  She  assured 
her  husband  and  friends  that  the  Old  South  would 
be  saved,  and  she  never  doubted  her  mission  in 
saving  it.  Upon  her  sick-bed  she  received  a 
telegram  in  answer  to  her  proposition,  that  the 
women  of  our  country  become  its  purchaser: 

Will  save  Old  South  if  you  can  collect  $50,000  within  six 
days. 

G.  W.  Simmons  &  Sons. 

She  wired  them  immediately: 

Glory  to  God  in  the  highest !  The  dear  old  church  will  be 
saved.  The  world  was  made  in  six  days.  Will  send  letter  by 
express. 

H.  T.  S.  Farmer. 

Mrs.  Farmer's  letters,  addresses  and  the  appeal 
to  the  women  of  Boston  in  behalf  of  the  Old  South 
are  a  matter  of  history.  She  lived  to  see  it  pass  to 
the  care  of  women,  who  now  hold  it  in  defiance  of 
the  destroyers. 

In  memory  of  her  dear  baby,  Clarence,  Mrs. 
Farmer  built  a  cottage  at  Eliot,  which  was 
accepted  as  a  gift  by  the  trustees  of  the  Boston 
city  mission.  To-day,  under  the  superintendence 
of  Rev.  D.  W.  Waldron  and  his  associates,  may  be 


HANNAH  TOBEY  SHAPLEIGH  FARMER        389 

seen  every  two  weeks  during  the  summer,  com- 
panies of  tired  workers  on  their  way  to  the  bright 
skies,  pure  air,  sparkhng  waters  and  warm  welcome 
of  Rosemary  Cottage. 

Mrs.  Farmer  Hved  to  see  the  beautiful  charity 
she  instituted  in  Rosemary  Cottage  an  assured 
success.  In  1891,  the  year  she  "passed  over,"  when 
the  records  of  Rosemary  were  made  up,  it  was 
found  that  more  than  one  thousand  guests  — 
mothers,  little  children,  shop  girls  and  tired 
women — had  received  two  weeks  of  rest  and  shelter 
beneath  the  hallowed  roof. 


AMY    MORRIS    BRADLEY 


XXX 

AMY    MORRIS    BRADLEY 


Have  love,  not  iove  alone  for  one, 
But  man  as  man  the  circling  sun, 
Thy  charities  on  all. 

Schiller. 

AMY  MORRIS  BRADLEY  was  born  in 
Vassalboro.  She  was  a  frail,  attractive 
child,  and  while  yet  young  had  acquired  a  practical 
knowledge  of  business.  She  was  well  educated, 
and  engaged  as  teacher  in  the  Boston  schools. 
Failing  in  health,  her  physician  prescribed  the 
climate  of  Central  America  as  her  only  hope  of 
recovery.  Soon  after  her  arrival  there,  the  only 
person  with  whom  she  could  converse  fell  ill  and 
died. 

Homesick  and  almost  in  despair,  Amy  Bradley 
set  herself  to  learn  the  language.  This  she  did, 
thoroughly  mastering  the  Spanish  tongue.  At 
the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War,  she  was  occu])icd 

393 


394  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

in  the  translation  of  Spanish  for  commission 
merchants  of  Boston.  She  immediately  went  to 
Washington  and  offered  her  services  as  nurse  to 
the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers. 

Camp  Convalescence  had  been  established  at 
Alexandria,  Virginia.  To  this  soldiers  discharged 
from  other  hospitals  who  were  supposed  to  be  able 
to  care  for  themselves  were  sent.  General  Butler 
had  gathered  up  seventy-five  thousand  deserters 
and  sent  them  here  until  they  could  be  returned 
to  their  regiments. 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Livermore,  who  was  detailed  by 
the  Qfovernor  of  Illinois  to  look  after  sick  soldiers 
and  take  them  home  to  that  state,  says  of  Camp 
Convalescence: 

It  was  one  vast  Golgotha,  a  bedlam,  a  besom  of  destruction. 
Soldiers  were  dying  by  the  hundreds.  All  the  powers  that  be 
were  importuned  to  look  after  it,  but  it  continued  a  reeking 
mass  of  foul  disease,  despair  and  destruction. 

To  this  camp  Amy  Bradley  was  sent.  When 
asked,  "  What  do  you  propose  to  do  ? "  her  answer 
was:  "  Ultimately  to  break  up  the  camp." 

She  began  her  work  by  sending  the  sick  who 
were  able  to  be  moved  to  Washington,  where  they 
could  receive  care  necessary  to  their  recovery.  In 
a  short  time  she  had  established  order,  and  greatly 
improved   the   condition   of   the  suffering  soldiers. 


AMY    MORRIS    BRADLEY  395 

She  persevered  until  the  camp  was  abandoned. 
This  was  in  1862-63.  She  did  not  relinquish  her 
work  until  the  war  was  over.  She  was  placed  on 
the  hospital  transports  for  taking  the  soldiers  North, 
where  they  could  have  better  air  and  attention.  It 
was  her  business  to  receive  the  men  on  board  the 
transports  and  look  after  their  comfort,  often  cook- 
ing their  food  with  her  own  hands.  Those  who 
looked  upon  this  frail  woman,  as  she  went  about 
her  work  in  and  out  of  the  hospitals,  over  the 
transports,  among  the  sick  and  suffering,  beside 
the  dying,  would  not  have  called  her  handsome. 
But  the  face  that  looked  down  upon  the  sufferers 
was  animated  with  a  heavenly  glow.  The  soldiers 
saw  only  beauty.  She  was  to  them  joy  and  glad- 
ness. Said  one:  "Miss  Bradley  brings  the  biggest 
chunks  of  sunshine  with  her!"  So  kind,  so  helpful, 
she  was  a  mother  to  the  boys,  who  were  comforted 
by  her  very  presence. 

When  the  war  was  over  and  her  services  in 
the  Sanitary  Commission  no  longer  required,  she 
offered  to  go  as  missionary  of  the  Unitarian  Asso- 
ciation, wherever  they  might  send  her.  She  had 
studied  the  condition  of  the  poor  whites,  as  they 
were  called,  and  expressed  the  wish  to  work  for 
them,  as  everybody  seemed  to  be  working  for  the 
freedmen.      "This   ignorant   portion   of   the   white 


396  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

inhabitants  of  the  South  was  physically,  mentally 
and  morally  degraded."  Their  condition  was  the 
outgrowth  of  the  worst  manifestation  of  slavery  as 
an  institution,  utterly  destitute  of  refinement  and 
comfort. 

To  Amy  Bradley  they  were  children  of  a  common 
Father,  and  to  their  amelioration  she  now  devoted 
herself.  The  Soldiers'  Memorial  Society  cooper- 
ating in  her  appointment,  she  went  to  Wilmington, 
North  Carolina,  January  i,  1867.  She  went  alone 
and  without  introduction,  and  her  entrance  upon 
her  labors  was  far  from  encouraging.  She  was 
frankly  told  that  it  was  impossible  for  her  to 
succeed.     The  papers  of  the  city  denounced  her. 

She  went  to  some  of  the  homes  of  the  poorest 
people  and  won  their  confidence  so  far  that  she 
soon  gathered  a  few  children  in  a  little  building, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  she  had  sixty 
scholars,  and  before  the  year  closed,  one  hundred 
and  forty.  She  organized  an  industrial  school  and 
Sunday-school,  procured  supplies  from  the  North, 
and  distributed  soup  and  clothing  among  the  needy. 

The  feeling  was  very  bitter  against  Miss  Bradley, 
because  she  was  a  northerner  and  because  she  was 
a  woman.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  she  secured 
a  building  for  her  school,  though  she  was  aided  by 
Mayor  Martin.     James  Chadbourne  and  Mr.  Kidder 


AMY    MORRIS    BRADLEY 


397 


were  friends  of  her  work  from  beginning  to  end. 
Her  first  school  was  eventually  located  in  the 
poorest  part  of  the  city,  known  as  Dry  Pond.  It 
was  the  bed  of  an  ancient  lake.  The  Misses 
Wesselhoeft,  of  Boston,  sent  to  Miss  Bradley  a 
pony  and  phaeton,  by  means  of  which  she  was 
enabled  to  go  among  the  homes  and  ask  the 
children  to  come  to  her  school.  At  first  they  had 
to  be  aided  in  order  to  attend. 

Miss  Bradley  soon  had  a  schoolhouse,  adapted 
to  her  work,  and  was  assisted  by  northern  teachers, 
but  gave  personal  attention  to  every  detail.  The 
people  did  not  understand  her;  tried  in  every 
way  to  hinder  her  teaching  the  children  patri- 
otism. They  were  exceedingly  jealous  of  her. 
Miss  Bradley  determined  to  interest  the  better  class 
of  people  in  her  work.  Through  the  mayor,  she 
secured  the  opera  house  for  a  school  exhibition. 
She  sent  out  special  invitations,  taking  great  pains 
to  invite  the  city  officials  and  their  families.  She 
had  inspired  every  child  with  love  and  reverence 
for  the  flag;  had  trained  the  children  to  emphasize 
their  patriotic  songs  with  the  waving  of  small  flao-s. 
Hundreds  of  them  were  arranoed  on  the  stao-e. 
graduated  according  to  height.  They  sang  sweetly, 
and  gracefully  waved  their  flags.  This  stirred  up 
the    most    bitter   feeling,   and    when    the    children 


398  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

ceased,  the  vast  audience  seemed  transformed  into 
a  flock  of  geese,  so  continuous  was  the  hissing. 

All  this  time  Miss  Bradley  had  stood  in  the  rear 
of  the  stage,  holding  the  Star  Spangled  Banner. 
She  now  quietly  moved  forward  to  the  footlights, 
and  slowly  retired.  This  she  did  three  times, 
awakening  by  her  impressive  manner  and  personal 
magnetism,  the  slumbering  love  for  the  old  flag, 
and  when  she  at  length  unfurled  it,  sentiment  for 
Old  Glory  was  aroused  and  the  audience  was 
compelled  to  cheer  the  flag.  The  papers,  the  next 
morning,  for  the  first  time,  spoke  kindly  of  Amy 
Bradley's  schools. 

Long  before  patriotic  enthusiasm  had  expressed 
itself  in  "a  flag  for  every  schoolhouse"in  the  North, 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  were  floating  from  Amy 
Bradley's  schoolhouses  in  the  South. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  third  year  of  her 
missionary  work,  Miss  Bradley  came  North  and 
made  her  report  before  the  May  Meeting  in 
Boston.  That  great-hearted  philanthropist,  Mrs. 
Mary  Hemenway,  endorsed  her  work  and  gave  to 
it  her  effective  cooperation.  She  placed  at  Miss 
Bradley's  disposal,  money  for  the  building  of 
another  schoolhouse  in  the  opposite  quarter  of 
the  city.  This  was  supplied  with  modern  school 
furniture,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  pupils,  and 
was  dedicated  the  Hemenway  Schoolhouse. 


AMY    MORRIS    BRADLEY  399 

Gradually  the  schools  won  their  way  into  favor 
in  the  city  of  Wilmington.  By  witnessing  what 
Miss  Bradley  had  done,  citizens  of  all  classes  were 
converted  into  a  belief  in  the  practicability  and 
value  of  public  schools.  Much  sooner  than  Miss 
Bradley  had  dared  to  hope,  her  schools  were 
adopted  by  the  city,  and  were  the  first  free  public 
schools  south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line. 

The  movement  became  general.  The  entire 
state  was  aroused  to  the  necessity  of  action  in  the 
line  of  public  schools.  Miss  Bradley's  schools 
became  the  standard;  as  her  methods  advanced, 
the  state  schools  also  advanced.  The  city  of 
Wilmington  now  elected  Miss  Bradley  supervisor 
of  schools.  She  retained  her  northern  teachers, 
who,  like  herself,  were  ladies  of  culture  and  refine- 
ment. 

Through  all  this  time.  Miss  Bradley  was  con- 
ducting Sunday  services.  In  religious  teaching 
she  was  never  sectarian.  She  sought  to  indoc- 
trinate the  people  in  love  to  God  and  love  to  man. 

In  the  development  of  the  school  system  of  the 
city  and  state.  Miss  Bradley  saw  the  necessity  of 
a  training  school  for  teachers.  Assisted  by  Mrs. 
Hemenway,  she  secured  a  location  in  the  center 
of  the  city  and  here  was  built  the  Tileston  Insti- 
tute. In  this  building  Miss  Bradley  was  able  to 
effect   a  long  cherished  plan,  to  have   an   "upper 


400  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

room"  for  her  Sunday  services.  She  had  planned 
the  entire  building  to  this  end.  It  was  unique  in 
its  appointments.  A  broad  stairway  led  up  to  a 
spacious  hall,  bright  and  sunny.  The  commodious 
stage  was  backed  by  a  large  bay  window,  in  which 
palms,  ferns  and  other  plants  were  massed.  The 
room  was  supplied  with  all  modern  furnishings, 
including  an  organ  and  a  piano.  It  was  adapted 
to  the  purposes  of  the  school  exhibitions  and 
commencement  exercises;  but  dearer  than  all  else, 
it  was  the  sacred  shrine  in  which  Amy  Bradley 
sought  to  benefit  parents  and  pupils  by  teaching 
them  that  character  must  be  based  on  Christian 
principles,  strengthened  and  refined  by  knowledge. 
Never  did  Amy  Bradley  so  effectively  and  yet 
unconsciously  impress  her  strong  personality  as 
in  these  Sunday  services.  There  was  a  stateliness 
in  her  slight  figure.  Her  hair,  tinged  with  gray, 
was  parted  smoothly  above  her  forehead  and 
knotted  low  at  the  back,  with  a  long  ringlet  at 
either  side  —  a  style  worn  from  her  girlhood.  Her 
voice  was  low  and  pleasantly  modulated;  her 
enunciation  clear  and  distinct;  her  slender  and 
beautifully  shaped  hands  were  most  impressive  in 
gesture,  which  she  used  freely.  She  was  always 
dressed  with  care.  There  was  a  rare  smile  upon 
her  delicate  features. 


AMY    MORRIS    BRADLEY  4OI 

At  the  end  of  twenty  years,  utterly  worn  out, 
Miss  Bradley  was  induced  to  leave  to  others  the 
work  she  had  so  successfully  consummated.  Mrs. 
Hemenway  built  a  home  for  her  on  the  same  lot 
with  the  Tileston  Institute,  where  she  still  lives. 
To  help  others  has  been  the  great  passion  of  her 
life.  Mrs.  Hemenway  spent  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars  in  building  up  the  Tileston  Normal  School 
and  she  gave  the  same  sum  to  save  the  Old  South 
Church.  She  did  it  all  in  love — that  the  children 
of  the  South  and  the  children  of  the  North  should 
be  taught  to  love  their  country  so  tenderly  that  it 
may  never  again  be  convulsed  with  civil  strife. 

Among  the  Maine  girls  associated  with  Miss 
Bradley  in  Wilmington,  was  her  niece.  Miss  Amy 
Morris  Bradley  Homans,  who  partakes  of  the 
same  executive  ability  and  broad  culture  as  her 
aunt.  She  engaged  in  teaching  when  only  sixteen 
years  of  age;  was  preceptress  of  Oak  Grove 
Seminary,  Vassalboro,  at  seventeen. 

Mrs.  Hemenway  studied  the  work  of  Miss 
Homans  in  the  South,  marked  her  faithfulness  to 
details  and  with  her  keen  insight  to  character,  saw 
another  Amy  Bradley  in  Miss  Homans.  She 
became  the  secretary  of  Mrs.  Hemenway,  and  was 
soon  placed  at  the  head  of  the  Boston  Normal 
School  of  Gymnastics. 

26 


402  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Miss  Homans  is  a  constant  student  and  ranks 
among  the  leading  educators  of  the  day.  For 
many  years  she  was  styled  the  right  arm  of  Mrs. 
Hemenway.  It  seemed  but  fitting  that  at  her 
death  Mrs.  Hemenway  should  bequeath  to  Miss 
Homans  the  directorship  of  all  her  educational 
work,  a  trust  Miss  Homans  is  faithfully  discharg- 
ing to-day. 


DOROTHEA  L.   DIX 


XXXI 
DOROTHEA  L.  DIX 


Life  counts  not  hours  by  joys  or  pains  ^ 
But  just  by  unties  done. 
And  ivheii  I  lie  on  the  green  kirkyard 
With  the  mould  upon  my  breast. 
Say  not  that  she  did  well  or  ill. 
Only  she  did  her  best. 

THERE  is  no  record  to  show  that  the  grand- 
mother of  Dorothea  L.  Dix,  whose  name 
she  bore,  ever  accompanied  her  husband,  Doctor 
Elijah  Dix,  on  any  of  his  numerous  journeys  from 
Boston  to  Maine.  He  acquired  large  tracts  of 
land,  out  of  which  the  present  towns  of  Dixmont 
and  Dixfield  were  formed.  The  settlers  obtained 
the  titles  to  their  farms  from  him.  He  died  in 
1809  and  his  body  lies  in  the  burial-ground  near 
Dixmont  Center.  His  son,  Joseph  Dix,  acted  as 
land  agent  for  his  father  and  made  his  home  at 
Hampden,  near  Dixmont.  Here  Dorothea  Dix, 
the  philanthropist,  was  born  in  1S02. 

405 


406  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Very  little  is  known  of  her  early  home  life. 
Only  a  few  years  were  spent  in  Maine.  She  lived 
with  her  family  in  Worcester  until  a  girl  of  twelve 
years.  Her  mother  was  an  invalid  and  much  of 
the  care  of  the  home  and  of  her  two  younger 
brothers  devolved  upon  her.  She  never  knew 
childhood.  She  was  educated  in  Boston  at  the 
home  of  her  grandmother,  Madam  Dorothea  L. 
Dix. 

She  began  her  work  as  teacher  in  Boston  when 
only  a  girl  of  fifteen.  Her  grandmother  owned  a 
small  house  not  far  away  from  her  home  on  Wash- 
ington Street.  By  dint  of  much  coaxing,  Doro- 
thea secured  this  for  a  schoolhouse,  into  which 
she  gathered  the  children  of  the  neighborhood. 
In  order  to  impress  them  with  the  dignity  of  her 
position,  she  lengthened  her  gown,  made  Vandykes 
to  cover  the  low^  neck,  and  added  long  sleeves. 
Here  the  demure  little  maiden  anticipated  the 
methods  of  Froebel,  introducing  the  principles  of 
the  kindergarten  before  they  were  worked  out  in 
the  mind  of  the  German  educator. 

In  order  to  increase  her  knowledge  and  ability, 
she  wrote  "  Conversations  of  Common  Things," 
her  first  published  work.  It  treated  of  animals, 
minerals  and  flowers,  purporting  to  be  conversa- 
tions between  pupil  and  teacher.     She  continued  a 


DOROTHEA    L.    DIX  407 

student  of  nature  during  her  life.  A  personal 
friend  of  Audubon,  later  in  life  she  assisted  him 
with  her  knowledge  of  birds  as  observed  in  the 
tropics.  Miss  Elizabeth  Peabody  was  her  life-long 
friend. 

In  1 82 1,  Miss  Dix  was  still  teaching  in  one  of 
her  grandmother's  houses,  and  her  school  had 
assumed  the  dignity  of  a  regular  day-school.  In 
addition  to  this  she  had  inaugurated  a  school  for 
poor  and  neglected  children.  For  this  purpose 
she  utilized  the  loft  of  the  stable,  having  convinced 
Madam  Dix  of  the  necessity  for  such  a  school. 
This  school  was  the  beginning  of  the  great  work 
of  child  saving  at  the  present  time. 

In  1824  the  friends  of  Miss  Dix  were  alarmed 
at  her  failing  health.  She  was  induced  to  give  up 
her  school.  A  few  years  after  she  assumed  the 
care  of  the  education  of  Doctor  Channing's  chil- 
dren. She  accompanied  the  family  to  the  island 
of  St.  Croix,  one  of  the  West  India  group.  Here 
she  found  great  pleasure  in  studying  the  tropical 
flora  and  fauna  of  the  island.  With  the  change 
of  climate  and  scenes  she  was  partially  restored  to 
health,  and  with  it  came  again  the  dream  of  her 
girlhood,  to  establish  a  school  for  the  higher  cul- 
ture of  girls  in  Boston. 

The  child  school  of  Dorothea  Dix  developed  at 


408  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

last  into  a  boarding  and  day  school  in  the  Dix 
mansion,  to  which  children  were  sent  from  the  best 
families  of  New  England.  To  the  care  of  this 
school  was  added,  in  consequence  of  the  failing 
health  of  her  grandmother,  the  care  of  the  house- 
hold, which  now  included  her  two  brothers. 

This  was  a  model  school  in  many  ways.  Miss 
Dix  orave  to  it  all  the  ardor  and  devotion  of  her 
unselfish  nature.  To  lead  the  children  into  cor- 
rect habits  of  thought  and  action,  that  their  future 
character-building  might  rest  on  a  sure  foundation, 
was  the  great  ambition  for  which  she  sacrificed  all 
personal  ease  and  pleasure. 

Mrs.  Margaret  T.  W.  Merrill,  of  Portland,  was  a 
pupil  in  this  school.  She  exemplifies  in  her  life 
the  teachings  of  Dorothea  Dix.  Mrs.  Merrill  is 
identified  with  the  philanthropies  of  Maine,  and 
has  also  a  national  reputation.  She  keeps  her 
heart  tender  and  loving  in  her  interest  in  the  work 
she  has  superintended  many  years,  "  Homes  for 
Homeless  Children."  There  is  an  undefinable 
charm  in  the  personality  of  Mrs.  Merrill. 

She  kindly  contributes  to  these  pages  the  follow- 
ing reminiscences  of  the  great  philanthropist: 

Dorothea  Dix  was  often  in  my  family  as  a  guest  for  weeks  at 
a  time,  making  Baltimore,  where  we  then  lived,  her  point  of 
departure   for   the    South    and    West.        Our    correspondence 


DOROTHEA    L.    DIX  4O9 

began  in  1833,  while  I  was  at  her  school,  and  continued 
throughout  her  life.  There  was  ever  the  relation  of  teacher 
and  taught  between  us. 

During  her  stay  with  us  she  wrote  her  memorial  to  the  legis- 
lature of  North  Carolina,  and  when  completed,  took  her  way 
to  Raleigh,  and  remained  there  some  six  or  eight  weeks. 

During  the  morning  hours  she  wrote  without  interruption, 
except  to  knock  at  my  door  and  take  a  look  at  the  baby  — 
there  was  always  one  in  those  days  — then  with  a  smile  would 
walk  quietly  back  to  her  work  again.  We  all  lunched  together. 
The  afternoon  was  devoted  to  driving  into  town,  sometimes  to 
the  Penitentiary,  sometimes  to  the  Reform  School.  She  often 
visited  the  former  on  Sunday  reading  the  Scripture  and 
speaking  to  the    convicts. 

When  the  time  came  for  us  to  leave  Ivy  Hills,  it  was  to 
her  like  the  removal  of  a  "  way  station  "  in  her  journeys  to  and 
from  the  South.  She  came  to  us  often  in  New  York  and 
Cambridge.  Her  last  visit  was  in  Portland.  She  remained 
three  weeks,  going  to  Augusta  to  the  asylum  while  here,  and 
visiting  Rev.  Dr.  Nichols  of  Saco  on  leaving  us. 

Not  long  before  she  passed  to  her  rest  she  returned  a 
package  of  my  earliest  letters  to  her,  which  show  what  a  com- 
plete mother-confessor  she  was,  encouraging  a  searching  intro- 
spection, so  searching  as  to  produce  a  morbidly  unhealthy, 
mental  condition,  only  to  be  relieved  by  a  return  to  my  mother 
and  father  and  the  cheerful  companionship  of  my  sisters  and 
brothers.  All  of  my  school  companions  were  subjected  to  the 
same  condition.  But  I  must  not  linger  over  these  recollec- 
tions of  one  who  entered  into  my  life  more  minutely  than  any 
one  outside  of  my  immediate  family. 

Affectionately  yours, 

Margaret  T.  W.   Merrill. 


410  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

The  letters  from  which  the  following  extracts 
are  taken,  were  written  by  Mrs.  Merrill  in  1833, 
when  a  girl  of  only  fifteen  years : 

My  Dear  Miss  Dix  :  — You  were  speaking  to  me  the  other 
day  of  the  exercise  you  required  of  your  scholars  of  giving 
to   you    at    intervals  an  account  of  their  feelings. 

I  thought  again  and  again  how  shall  I  write  that  to  another 
of  which  I  am  ignorant  myself.  It  seemed  impossible  to  do 
it.  At  last  I  determined  to  think,  not  of  the  exercise  as  a 
lesson  that  must  be  done  and  well  done,  or  it  would  not  be 
credited,  but  as  something  which  I  ought  to  do  whether  you 
requested  it  or  not. 

I  began  with  the  progress  I  had  made  in  school. 

I  saw  that  I  had  not  tried  to  be  diligent  and  improve  every 
moment  because  it  was  right  to  do  so,  but  that  I  might  gratify 
my  friends  by  it,  that  all  my  endeavors  to  succeed  in  my 
studies  arose  from  no  fixed  principles. 

I  began  to  take  pleasure  in  writing  to  you  and  telling  you 
what  I  thought  and  felt,  and  you  know  I  did  often. 

I  think  and  know  that  it  is  you  whom  I  ought  to  thank  for 
all  the  benefits  I  may  have  derived  from  looking  into  my 
thoughts  and  feelings. 

I  do  not  think  I  do  injustice  to  my  father  and  mother  in 
saying  this,  I  always  gave  them  entire  confidence ;  as  far  as  I 
knew  my  own  heart  they  knew  it,  and  I  doubt  not  better  ;  but 
I  never,  until  I  came  to  you,  was  accustomed  to  examine  my 
feelings.     I   knew  not  what  they  were   myself.     I   could  not 


DOROTHEA    L.    DIX  4I  I 

define  them  to  others.  I  do  thank  you  for  discovering  to  me 
how  much  I  can  do  for  myself,  and  for  aiding  me  in  doing  the 
little  I  have  accomplished. 

Margaret. 

Mrs.  Merrill  adds:  "Our  confessions  were 
deposited  in  a  little  post-office  box  provided  in  our 
parlor  schoolroom." 

After  five  years  of  continuous  toil  and  care,  Miss 
Dix's  frail  constitution  yielded  to  the  strain,  and 
she  found  herself  physically  prostrated.  Through 
the  influence  of  Doctor  Channing  and  others,  she 
took  a  sea  voyage  to  England.  At  the  home  of 
her  newly-found  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rathbone  of 
London,  she  was  an  invalid  for  many  months. 

During  her  absence  in  England,  her  mother  and 
Madam  Dix  died.  On  her  return  to  America  in 
the  autumn  of  1837,  she  was  obliged  to  make  her 
home  in  a  less  rio^orous  climate  than  New  Ene- 
land.  She  chose  Virginia  and  Washington,  D.  C. 
A  bequest  left  her  by  her  grandmother  would  now 
have  admitted  of  a  life  of  ease  and  study,  but  Miss 
Dix  was  a  child  of  destiny  —  she  could  not  loiter 
in  her  heaven-appointed  mission. 

The  great  life-work  of  Dorothea  L.  Dix,  her 
labors  for  the  improvement  of  the  condition  of  the 
insane,  her  untiring  investigations,  her  appeals 
before  legislative  bodies  and  to  benevolent  individ- 


412  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

uals,  her  disappointments,  her  journeyings  and 
her  joys,  are  all  faithfully  told  by  her  biographer, 
Francis  Tiffany. 

She  is  best  known  by  the  present  generation, 
perhaps,  through  her  labors  in  the  Civil  War. 
She  was  appointed  superintendent  of  women 
nurses,  and  though  sixty  years  of  age  at  the  time, 
she  did  not  allow  herself  a  single  day's  furlough 
through  the  four  long  years  of  the  war.  Her  vow 
of  consecration  to  the  alleviation  of  human  suffer- 
ing, taken  in  early  womanhood,  was  never  broken. 

Wherever  the  poor,  wounded,  insane,  enslaved 
of  any  nation  cried  for  help,  her  hand  was  uplifted 
for  their  release  from  suffering.  Her  work  as 
nurse  was  only  an  episode.  Philanthropy  was  her 
passion ;  her  life  was  looking  after  insane  paupers 
and  convicts. 

There  were  few  asylums  for  the  insane  in  the 
United  States  even,  when  she  began  her  work  only 
one  under  the  care  of  the  state.  Through  her 
efforts,  twenty  states  had  adopted  humane  methods 
for  the  care  of  the  insane  before  her  death,  and  her 
enthusiasm  is  felt  to-day  wherever  institutions  are 
founded  for  the  benefit  of  the  unfortunate. 

Mrs.  George  C.  Frye,  one  of  Maine's  younger 
philanthropists,  well-known  throughout  the  state  as 
the  mother  of  the  State  Federation  of    Women's 


DOROTHEA    L.    DIX  413 

Clubs,  and  president  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  Invalid's  Home  of  Portland,  in  her  early  days 
sat  at  the  feet  of  Dorothea  Dix.  The  following 
letter  from  her  pen  presents  a  pleasing  picture  of 
the  declining  years  of  the  great  philanthropist : 

When  a  girl  of  eighteen  I  visited  my  brother,  Doctor  Charles 
H.  Nichols,  superintendent  of  the  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at 
Washington,  D.  C.  Dorothea  Dix  was  at  that  time  the  guest 
of  the  institution.  The  United  States  government,  in  recog- 
nition of  her  services  in  securing  the  location,  had  given  her  a 
home  beneath  its  roof.  She  was  then  suffering  from  malaria 
contracted  during  the  Civil  War,  and  was  obliged  to  keep  her 
room  for  weeks. 

It  was  my  pleasure  to  read  to  her  mornings.  This  was  an 
inspiration  to  me,  because  she  entered  into  the  subject  with 
such  delight.  If  a  beautiful  thought  moved  her,  she  would 
say  :  "  Now,  dear,  let  us  analyze  that  —  such  gems  we  must 
treasure  up  to  strengthen  us  in  the  winter  of  life,  as  well  as  to 
assist  us  to-day. 

Sometimes  she  would  be  reminded  of  her  work  during  the 
war  and  after  its  close,  looking  up  the  families  of  fatherless 
children,  securing  situations  for  widows  who  must  work  as  well 
as  weep.  She  could  speak  of  that  part  of  her  life  only  for  a 
few  minutes  before  her  eyes  would  dim  and  her  voice  falter. 
With  a  smile  through  her  tears  like  a  rainbow  made  by  the 
sunshine  on  the  raindrops,  she  would  kiss  me  and  say,  "  Some 
time  I  will  relate  more,  but  not  now;  let  us  talk  of  the 
present." 

She  soon  recovered  so  as  to  be  able  to  come  to  the  dining- 
room  for  luncheon.     She  was  fond  of  flowers.     The  first  blade 


414  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

of  grass  always  delighted  her.  She  called  it  God's  every-day 
love. 

Her  birthday  occurring  at  this  time  we  decorated  the  dining- 
room  with  beautiful  flowers,  arranging  an  arch  of  roses  above 
her  seat.  Professor  Henry  and  family  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institute  were  invited  to  be  present.  Doctor  Nichols,  as  was 
his  custom,  went  to  her  room  to  escort  her  to  the  dining-room. 
As  she  entered  the  door  she  stopped  and  brushed  away  a  tear, 
saying,  as  she  looked  up  to  Doctor  Nichols  with  a  smile,  which 
was  always  that  of  a  girl :  "  Let  us  enter  this  paradise  to- 
gether." The  doctor  replied,  "  Enter  first.  Miss  Dix ;  I  may 
not  be  admitted."  He  seated  her  beneath  the  arch.  Her 
beautiful  face,  radiant  with  joy  underneath  which  glowed  the 
true  nobility  of  her  womanhood,  impressed  itself  upon  me  on 
that  occasion  never  to  be  forgotten. 

On  Tuesdays,  one  section  of  the  lower  hall  of  the  asylum 
was  reserved  for  those  who  appealed  to  her  for  help.  I  never 
saw  less  than  five  there,  sometimes  more  than  a  dozen  appli- 
cants. When  she  was  too  ill  to  see  them  they  went  away 
heavy-hearted 

One  day  I  took  their  appeals  to  her,  and  brought  back  to 
them  all  helpful  words  and  plans.  I  begged  the  privilege  of 
investigating  these,  and  out  of  the  seven  applicants  but  one 
proved  unworth3^ 

Her  word  to  young  people  was,  "  Have  all  your  youthful 
pleasure,  also  something  of  work  every  day,  that  the  character- 
building  may  have  discipline,  and  when  work  becomes  a  neces- 
sity, that  necessity  may  be  a  pleasure.  Love  the  home,  and 
let  your  influence  begin  there,  then  go  out  to  your  neighbor, 
whoever  he  may  be." 

Said  Professor  Henry,  her  lifelong  friend  :  "  Dorothea  Dix, 
with  her  fine  ph}'^sique  and  remarkable  intelligence,  is  the  most 


DOROTHEA    L.    DIX 


415 


perfectly  developed  woman  I  ever  knew."  There  can  be  but 
one  Dorothea  Dix,  and  we  may  add,  but  one  Professor  Henry. 
A  Christlike  man,  quiet  and  absorbed  in  scientific  study,  yet 
with  a  heart  capable  of  taking  in  the  minutest  details  of  the 
great  philanthropies  of  Dorothea  Dix. 

The  influence  of  this  noble  woman  has  been  to  me  a  con- 
stant inspiration,  governing  many  acts  of  my  life. 

Very  truly  yours, 

Eunice  Nichols  Frye, 

In  selecting  suitable  granite  for  the  monument, 
she  had  caused  to  be  erected  at  Fortress  Monroe, 
"  In  memory  of  Union  soldiers,  who  died  to  main- 
tain the  laws,"  it  was  but  natural  Miss  Dix  should 
spend  weeks  among  the  quarries  of  Dix  and  other 
islands  along  the  Maine  coast.  And  yet  very  few, 
to-day,  know  that  we  have  a  right  to  claim  this 
great  philanthropist,  in  whose  mother-heart  there 
burned  a  love  for  all  God's  creatures,  as  a  native 
of  Maine. 

She  was  buried  in  Mount  Auburn,  July,  1887. 
Doctor  Nichols,  after  standing  by  her  open  grave 
wrote  her  English  friend  : 

Thus  has  died  and  been  laid  to  rest,  in  the  most  quiet,  unos- 
tentatious way,  the  most  useful  and  distinguished  woman 
America  has  yet  produced. 


WOMEN'S  CLUBS  FORESHADOWED 


27 


XXXII 
WOMEN'S    CLUBS   FORESHADOWED 

Unity  in  Diversity. 

T^HE  first  organizations  of  women  in  the  state 
-i  were  female  prayer-meetings,  maternal  asso- 
ciations and  sewing-circles.  These  were  all  under 
the  special  care  of  the  minister,  who  felt  it  his  duty 
to  be  present  and  open  the  meeting  in  an  orderly 
manner. 

So  far  as  the  writer  has  been  able  to  learn,  the 
first  literary  club  of  Maine  that  admitted  women, 
was  the  Nucleus  of  Brunswick. 

In  1828,  females  were  admitted  as  members,  free 
of  expense,  to  a  similar  organization  in  Winthrop, 
on  condition  they  attend  regularly  to  some  studies.' 
It  is  recorded: 

A  female  class  recited  in  "  Blair's  Philosophy,"  and  another 
studied  "Wilkins'  Astronomy." 

419 


420  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Limerick  had  a  "  Female  Cent  Society,"  organized 
in  i8 1 5,  with  twenty-eight  members,  Winslow  had 
a  similar  society,  of  which  Mrs.  Asa  Burnham  was 
the  presiding  genius.  She  used  to  ride  on  horse- 
back from  house  to  house  to  collect  the  dues.  A 
female  society  was  organized  in  Winslow,  even  before 
the  church,  its  object  being  to  aid  in  the  support  of 
the  gospel.  It  has  continued  to  this  day,  proving 
itself  an  efficient  arm  of  the  church.  The  "June 
meeting"  is  one  of  the  social  features  of  the  town. 

"Society  for  Mutual  Improvement."  This  was  a 
state  society  for  the  purpose  of  helping  "mothers 
to  a  better  understanding  and  more  efficient  per- 
formance of  their  highly  responsible  duties." 

The  women  of  Winthrop  banded  themselves 
together  for  the  purpose  of  elevating  the  moral 
tone  of  society.  They  were  much  ridiculed,  even 
by  those  who  should  have  aided  them,  but  by  their 
meetings  for  prayer  and  consultation,  by  means  of 
the  literature  they  distributed,  they  were  a  power 
for  good. 

The  present  Woman's  Club  movement  in  Maine 
was  anticipated  by  Mrs.  Hannah  Whipple  Allen, 
of  Gardiner.  She  is  familiarly  spoken  of  as  Mrs. 
Squire  Allen.  Her  husband  was  a  lawyer  of  note, 
and  their  home  was  open,  not  only  to  the  distin- 
guished lawyers  of  that  day,  but  many  of  the  law 


WOMEN  S    CLUBS    FORESHADOWED  42 1 

students  found  in  Mrs.  Allen  a  warm  sympathizer 
and  timely  friend.  Her  literary  and  scientific  tastes 
led  her  to  gather  about  her  a  coterie  of  cultivated 
people.  Her  rare  social  qualities,  aided  by  her 
fine  presence  and  kindly  manner,  attracted  alike 
stranorers,  neig-hbors  and  children.  She  often 
invited  small  companies  to  her  parlor  for  talks 
upon  scientific  subjects  or  to  listen  to  lectures. 
Hon.  J.  W.  Bradbury  recalls  one  of  these  enter- 
tainments. Dr.  John  Randall,  a  young  lawyer 
studying  with  the  famous  Dr.  Nourse  of  Hal- 
lowell,  was  invited  to  address  the  ladies  at  one  of 
these  parlor  gatherings.  He  was  a  great-grandson 
of  Samuel  Adams.  The  children  all  knew  and 
loved  Mrs.  Allen;  they  needed  no  urging  to  attend 
the  meetings  she  planned  for  their  amusement  and* 
instruction. 

Mrs.  Allen  deserves  most  honorable  mention  in  these  pages. 
She  was  a  woman  of  rare  endowments  of  mind,  and  of  superior 
culture  and  attainments.  Her  chief  study  and  delight  was  the 
science  of  geology  and  its  collaterals,  mineralogy  and  conchol- 
ogy.  She  found  many  rare  relics  of  other  eras,  and  attracted 
the  attention  and  applause  of  the  most  scientific  men  of  the 
age.  Mrs.  Allen  was  author  of  a  fine  poetical  work,  learned 
and  skilfully  wrought,  consisting  of  four  hundred  lines,  and 
notes  amounting  to  thirty-four  pages,  entitled  "  A  Poetical 
Geognosy  "  and  other  poems. 

Hanson's  History  of  Gardiner. 


422  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

Mrs.  Clarinda  Thompson  Monroe  was  born  in 
Livermore,  in  1809.  She  was  the  wife  of  Capt. 
John  Monroe.  Although  an  octogenarian  when  the 
North  Livermore  Reading  Club  was  formed,  1889, 
no  one  was  more  interested  in  its  organization, 
or  had  a  greater  desire  for  its  continuance  and 
prosperity.  She  was  a  woman  whose  life  savors 
of  perennial  cheerfulness  and  whose  memory  is 
blessed.  She  often  said  to  the  ladies,  "  Don't  give 
up  your  Reading  Club.  It  is  the  kind  of  work 
women  ought  to  do,  and  not  fritter  all  their  time 
away  over  their  housework  and  the  fashions." 

Miss  Eliza  A.  Tabor  was  a  teacher  for  many 
years  at  Vassalboro.  She  had  a  kindly  heart  and 
Ker  name  suggests  only  loving  memories.  Around 
her  fireside  she  gathered  many  children,  and  here 
was  formed  one  of  the  first  children's  clubs  of 
which  we  have  any  record.  Her  chestnuts  and 
her  tarts  were  the  delight  of  their  childish  appe- 
tites, but  her  winning  ways  and  sweet  courtesy 
led  captive  their  young  hearts.  No  greater 
pleasure  was  anticipated  by  the  children  than  an 
afternoon  and  tea  with  Aunt  Eliza.  She  taught 
them  many  practical  lessons  of  self-control  and 
charity  by  means  of  stories  and  little  incidents. 
Her  mxthods  were  those  of  the  kindergarten  of 
to-day. 


WOMEN  S    CLUBS    FORESHADOWED  423 

Mrs.  Melissa  W.  Nash,  the  wife  of  StiUman    W. 
Nash,  was  one  of  the  helpful  mothers  of  the  little 
village  of   Harrington.     In  the  Baptist  church,  the 
only    religious    society    during    more    than    half  a 
century,   Mrs.  Nash  was  a  prominent  worker.     She 
is    recalled    as    a   faithful    Sunday-school    teacher. 
She    served   officially    as    president    and    on    the 
various    committees    of    the    Martha    Washington 
Society    throughout    her    life.     Mrs.    Nash    was   a 
woman  of  rare  culture.     She  gathered  the  young 
about    her    and    greatly   encouraged  their    literary 
progress.     Were  she  living  to-day,  she  would  be  a 
much-loved  club    mother.     The    following    extract 
from   her  address  before  the   Martha  Washington 
Society,  more  than  fifty  years  ago,  is  suggestive  of 
the  ethical  responsibility  of  club  members  at  th» 
present  time: 

I  have  had  some  fears  that  when  the  novelty  of  the  meetino-s 

should  wear  off — when  time  should  have  made  them  familiar 

we  should  not  be  so  prompt  in  our  attendance ;  but  I  trust 
that  my  fears  have  been  groundless. 

Let  each  member  feel  that  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  this 
society  depends  solely  on  her  exertion  and  be  determined,  let 
who  else  be  absent,  her  place,  unless  necessarily  detained,  shall 
be  filled. 

Let  us  also  consider  the  obligation  we  have  laid  ourselves 
under  to  the  society  by  becoming  members.  We  have  pledged 
ourselves  to  do  all  in  our  power  to  promote  its  interests,  and 


424  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

while  we  consider  ourselves  thus  responsible,  the  society  will 
not  be  likely  to  decline. 

Another  thing  with  which  I  have  been  much  pleased  is  the 
union  manifested:  no  jars;  no  discords.  All  seem  to  be 
actuated  by  the  spirit  of  love,  and  I  have  thought  this  society 
might  exert  a  beneficent  influence  in  strengthening  the  bond 
of  affection  between  neighbors. 

Go  on,  then,  in  your  labor  of  love ;  be  not  weary  in  well- 
doing. I  know,  my  friends,  the  consciousness  of  having 
benefitted  a  suffering  fellow  creature  is  to  all  of  us  a  sufficient 
reward. 

I  feel  that  I  have  poorly  performed  the  duty  assigned  me, 
but  I  must  plead  as  an  excuse  the  cares  of  a  family  and  the 
brief  time  allotted  me.  I  should  when  nominated  have 
declined,  had  I  not  feared  others  might  avail  themselves  of  a 
like  excuse. 

In  these  simple  beginnings,  gathered  here  and 
there  throughout  the  state,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
discover  the  orerm  of  the  modern  woman's  club. 

The  Chautauquan  movement  found  many  advo- 
cates among  Maine  women.  The  Society  for 
Home  Study  had  many  readers.  Stimulated  by 
these  societies,  independent  adult  classes  for  liter- 
ary study  and  home  culture  sprung  up  throughout 
the  state.  Bangor  has  long  been  famed  for  its 
classes  of  busy,  thoughtful  women.  Under  the 
leadership  of  Mrs.  A.  B.  C.  Keene,  a  woman  of 
rare  literary  culture,  six  women  inaugurated  this 
movement.     Upon    the    removal    of    Mrs.    Keene 


WOMEN  S    CLUBS    FORESHADOWED  425 

from  Bangor,  Mrs.  Mary  S.  Hall  became  her 
worthy  and  popular  successor.  Her  students  were 
numbered  by  hundreds  when  she  moved  with  her 
family  to  Rochester,  New  York.  The  Athena 
Club  of  Bangor  is  an  outgrowth  of  these  classes. 
The  woman's  club  movement  in  Portland  dates 
back  to  1874.  The  Woman's  Literary  Union  was 
an  advanced  step  toward  a  State  Organization, 
and  it  is  but  natural  that  Maine  should  have  been 
the  first  state  in  the  Union  ot  unite  all  of  its  lit- 
erary clubs  for  women  into  a  State  Federation. 


OTHER   MOTHERS 


XXXIII 
OTHER  MOTHERS 

All  Maine  mothers  are  brave. 

William  Edwin  Frost. 


THERE  were  no  public  institutions  in  Maine 
for  the  insane  until  1830.  Maniacs  were 
kept  in  their  own  homes,  but  often  escaped 
their  keepers  and  were  a  terror  to  the  entire 
neighborhood. 

The  remarkable  self-control  and  bravery  of  two 
Maine  mothers  is  strikingly  illustrated  in  the  fol- 
lowing incident : 

One  day  a  couple  of  friends,  Mrs.  Springer  and  Miss  Pitts, 
were  quietly  sewing  in  their  sitting-room,  in  which  was  the 
spare  bed,  after  the  fashion  of  "ye  olden  time,"  when  houses 
were  built  on  a  small  scale  and  barns  were  the  large  building. 

The  husband  and  children  were  away,  and  Mrs.  Springer 
and  her  unmarried  sister  were  alone,  when  a  crazy  man  rushed 
into  the  room  flourishing  a  large  knife  and  ordered  them  to  get 
into  bed.     They  expected  to  be  killed,  but  their  haBit  of  self- 

429 


430  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

control  saved  them.  "  How  like  a  fool  thee  talks  about  going 
to  bed  in  the  middle  of  the  day,"  said  Mrs.  Springer,  elder  of 
the  two  sisters,  "if  thee  wants  anybody  to  get  into  bed,  get 
into  bed  thyself." 

They  were  greatly  alarmed,  but  preserved  their  calm  exterior 
until  the  man  recognized  the  presence  of  a  spirit  which  he 
could  not  understand,  and  yielded.  He  went  along  to  the  bed, 
turned  up  the  foot,  and  crawled  in,  boots  and  all.  He  covered 
even  his  head,  and  they  could  hear  his  incoherent  mutterings, 
but  the  women  remained  calm  and  continued  their  sewing  as 
if  nothing  had  happened.  The  quiet  demeanor  of  the  women, 
and  the  thorough  sweat  to  which  he  had  subjected  himself,  had 
a  soothing  effect  upon  his  excited  brain.  At  last  he  peeped 
out  from  under  the  bed  clothes  and  said  hesitatingly,  "  This 
hasn't  turned  out  exactly  as  I  expected." 

In  a  trip  through  the  Dead  River  region  the 
writer  learned  many  incidents  of  its  early  history. 
She  was  told  by  Caleb  Stevens  —  the  first  white 
child  born  there  —  that  his  mother  and  father  were 
there  in  advance  of  any  other  settlers.  For  two 
long  years  his  mother  did  not  see  the  face  of  a 
woman. 

It  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  women  on  the 
Carabasset  Stream  to  ride  horseback  to  Hallo- 
well  —  a  distance  of  forty  miles  through  an  un- 
broken forest  —  carrying  the  corn  to  be  ground. 
Usually  the  journey  was  taken  with  a  baby  in  arms. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoar,  with  their  four  children, 
went  into   the    lake    region  of  Rangeley  —  in  the 


OTHER    MOTHERS  43 I 

winter,  taking  their  household  goods  on  a  hand- 
sled.  The  mother  had  relieved  herself  of  the  tire- 
some weight  of  the  baby,  which  she  had  carried 
many  miles  over  the  rough,  slippery  ground,  by 
tucking  it  away  for  a  nap  among  the  goods  on  the 
sled.  Thinking  it  to  be  sleeping,  they  journeyed 
on  some  distance  before  they  discovered  that  the 
baby  was  gone.  It  had  slipped  from  the  load  un- 
noticed in  the  roughness  of  the  way.  Almost 
frantic,  the  entire  family  rushed  back  in  search  of 
the  baby,  haunted  by  thoughts  of  the  wild  animals 
that  prowled  through  the  woods 

Mrs.  Hoar,  in  the  advance  of  the  hunting  party 
found  the  baby.  It  had  fallen  from  the  sled  and 
rolled  some  distance  down  the  hill,  where  it  was 
stopped  by  a  tree  against  which  it  rested.  To  her 
great  joy  the  child  was  still  sleeping. 

The  following  story  seem  almost  incredible  but 
was  vouched  for  by  several  reliable  citizens  : 

Mrs.  Allen  put  a  feather  bed  upon  a  horse's  back, 
took  a  pair  of  twins  in  her  arms  and  found  her 
way  through  a  dense  forest,  thirty  miles  to  Copelin, 
near  the  Dead  River,  in  search  of  her  husband,  who 
had  frozen  both  feet,  in  his  efforts  to  procure  food 
for  his  family.  They  must  have  all  perished  from 
hunger,  had  they  not  been  rescued  by  some  explor- 
ers who  chanced  to  be  in  the  region. 


432  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

A  long  sorrowing  mother  —  the  mother  of 
"poor  Httle  Jimmy  Wilbur" — is  all  the  name  she 
bears  to-day.  The  family  lived  in  Letter  E  Planta- 
tion, Franklin  County.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  1825. 
Mr.  Wilbur  had  gone  to  Phillips  to  mill.  Mrs. 
Wilbur  was  busy  with  her  household  cares,  when 
her  little  girl,  who  had  been  picking  up  potatoes 
in  the  field  near  by,  came  rushing  into  the  house 
saying,  "  O  mama,  Jimmy  is  carried  off."  He  had 
been  playing  beside  her  when  a  man  suddenly 
appeared,  seized  the  child  and  hurried  away. 

Among  those  who  joined  the  searching  party  for 
the  child  was  Daniel  Beedy.  The  writer  recalls 
that  he  could  not  speak  of  the  anguish  and  suffer- 
ing of  the  bereaved  father  and  mother,  without 
deep  emotion,  though  many  years  had  elapsed 
since  he  witnessed  it.  The  search  was  fruitless. 
Only  a  small  piece  of  little  Jimmy's  red  dress  was 
found.  Mrs.  Wilbur  went  about  her  daily  duties 
with  a  sad  heart,  never  forgetting  the  child  so 
cruelly  torn  from  her.  Twenty  years  passed  away, 
twenty  long  weary  years,  and  not  a  day  without  a 
thought  for  her  lost  boy.  The  family  had  moved 
to  Rumford.  A  daughter,  while  in  Saco,  learned 
that  among  the  company  of  St.  Francis  Indians 
camping  near  by,  there  was  one  unlike  the  others. 

The  story  of  her  brother's  capture  was  fresh  in 


OTHER    MOTHERS  433 

her  mind.  She  was  constantly  on  the  alert  for  tid- 
ings of  the  lost  boy.  She  visited  the  camp  and  was 
convinced  that  the  man  was  her  brother.  She 
arranged  for  a  visit  to  their  parents  in  Oxford 
County.  Great  was  the  excitement  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. Everybody  far  and  wide  was  familiar  with 
the  sad  story.  The  scene  was  too  pitiful  for 
description. 

Yes,  it  was  indeed  Jimmy  Wilbur.  A  few  lines 
from  a  story  his  mother  had  taught  him  had  never 
slipped  from  his  memory.  Some  marks  upon  his 
person  his  mother  remembered  gave  additional 
evidence.     There  was  no  doubt  in  the  mind  of  any. 

What  joy!  what  sorrow!  Their  son,  indeed 
their  son,  but  in  speech  and  habit  not  theirs.  One 
alone  of  all  the  group  showed  no  tenderness,  no 
sympathy  with  the  disheartened  father  and  mother. 
It  was  the  dusky  wife  of  Jimmy  Wilbur,  the  forest 
maiden  on  whom  he  had  bestowed  his  love.  Her 
dark  face  grew  darker  at  the  thought  that  her  hus- 
band might  be  won  from  her  and  the  wild  life  of 
her  race. 

But  Jimmy  Wilbur  was  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses a  son  of  the  forest,  and  though  he  manifested 
some  interest  in  his  new-found  parents,  he  had  no 
affiliation  with  their  ways  of  living  and  soon  went 
to  join  his  foster  kindred.  It  is  said,  however,  that 
28 


434  MOTHERS    OF     MAINE 

he  made  occasional  visits  to  his  parents,  and  always 
retained  a  degree  of  affection  for  them. 

Not  for  years  after  was  the  mystery  of  his 
capture  solved,  and  to-day  the  motive  is  not  clear. 
The  child  was  kidnapped  by  a  trapper,  who  sub- 
jected him  to  the  most  inhuman  treatment,  from 
which  he  was  rescued  by  a  kind-hearted  squaw, 
who  adopted  him  as  her  own. 

At  Parsonsfield,  in  a  wilderness  home,  in  1774, 
Sally  Parsons  was  born.  Her  girlhood  was  spent 
in  converse  with  nature.  She  early  learned  the 
habits  of  the  animals  and  the  flowers  of  the  forest. 
By  means  of  her  rambles,  fresh  air,  pure  water  and 
homely  fare,  she  developed  a  fine  physique.  So 
graceful  was  she  in  her  native  loveliness  that  she 
became  famed  as  the  handsomest  girl  that  entered 
the  Parsonsfield  meeting-house.  She  married 
Joseph  Parsons  in  1795,  and  together,  through  the 
woods  on  horseback,  they  took  their  bridal  trip, 
without  even  a  bridle-path,  but  by  means  of 
spotted  trees,  to  Cornville,  their  future  home. 
Here  ten  children  were  born  to  them.  The  family 
boasted  its  "seventh  son." 

Sally  Parsons  was  expert  in  all  the  domestic  arts 
of  her  time.  She  looked  well  to  the  ways  of  her 
household,    and,    like    many    of   her    descendants 


OTHER    MOTHERS  435 

to-day,  was  known  for  her  fine  housekeeping.  She 
insisted  upon  milking  the  cows,  urging  as  her 
reason,  "  Men  do  not  know  how  to  milk."  She 
was  a  fine  rider  and  trainer  of  horses.  Under  her 
skilful  but  gentle  hand,  refractory  colts  were  soon 
taught  to  submit  to  the  harness.  One  of  her 
granddaughters  remembers  hearing  an  elderly 
gentleman  lament  that  he  could  not  get  the  better 
of  Sally  Parsons  in  a  horse  trade. 

She  lived  to  be  seventy-seven  years  old,  retain- 
ing the  care  of  her  home  to  the  last.  In  religion 
she  was  a  Universalist,  expressing  her  faith  in 
deeds  of  love.  She  denounced  the  seven  mortal 
sins,  but  stretched  out  her  hand  to  the  deserving 
poor.  Many  are  those  to-day  who  revere  her 
memory. 

Mrs.  L.  M.  N.  Stevens  is  a  descendent  of  this 
worthy  Maine  mother. 

Dorothy  Mudgitt  was  one  of  the  pioneer  women 
of  Parsonsfield,  York  County.  It  must  have  been 
about  1780  when  the  young  bride  and  groom  made 
their  way  through  the  dense  forest  from  Gilmanton, 
New  Hampshire,  guided  by  the  spotted  trees.  In 
building  their  home  of  one  room,  they  perched  it 
upon  four  stumps,  so  high  that  the  wild  animals 
often  passed  under  it.  Here  they  began  their  new 
life. 


436  MOTHERS     OF     MAINE 

When  unexpected  guests  braved  the  perils  of 
the  forest  path  to  seek  them  out,  they  received  a 
cordial  welcome.  They  were  feasted  on  blackber- 
ries, corn-bread  baked  on  the  hearth  of  the  yawn- 
ing fireplace,  and  the  indispensable  tea  made  of 
checkerberry,  or  as  they  termed  it  "ivory  leaves." 
They  could  truly  say  "  Our  hoard  is  little,  but  our 
hearts  are  great." 

Rachel  Sweetsir  was  born  and  reared  in  Cumber- 
land, during  the  Revolutionary  period.  She  had 
little  opportunity  for  the  culture  of  the  schools,  but 
made  herself  very  useful  in  the  community  as  a 
weaver.  She  had  fitted  herself  for  her  art  with 
great  care,  traveling  on  horseback  a  long  distance 
to  learn  of  a  famous  Irish  weaver.  For  her  ser- 
vices she  received  two  shillings  six  pence  per  week. 

In  1794,  she  married  Paul  Sanborn,  and  became 
the  mother  of  four  children.  Being  left  a  widow, 
she  married  again  and  made  her  home  in  Foxcroft. 
Her  last  married  name  was  Chandler.  Later  she 
lived  in  Bangor,  and  was  a  communicant  of  the 
Hammond  Street  Church.  She  had  very  bright 
black  eyes  and  grew  handsome  as  she  grew  older. 
In  advanced  life  her  sight  returned.  She  could 
read  and  work  without  glasses. 

Mrs.    Chandler  had   never    seen    a    steamboat. 


OTHER    MOTHERS  437 

Her  son-in-law  and  granddaughter,  to  give  her 
pleasure,  invited  her  to  take  a  trip  to  Portland. 
They  arranged  to  go  down  the  Penobscot  River 
on  the  Daniel  Webster,  a  famous  steamboat  of 
that  day.  Mrs.  Chandler  was  escorted  with  great 
care  into  the  saloon  of  the  boat  and  seated  on  one 
of  the  easy  chairs.  It  was  like  a  dream  to  her. 
She  amused  herself  in  watching  the  passengers  as 
they  came  in  and  in  admiring  the  furnishing  of 
the  room.  The  boat  was  some  distance  on  the 
way  when  she  said  to  her  granddaughter :  "  Helen, 
isn't  it  most  time  we  were  starting  ?  "  She  replied  : 
"Why,  grandma,  we  are  six  miles  down  the  river; 
we  are  at  Hampden."  "  Well,  well,"  said  the  old 
lady,  "  I  thought  this  was  a  house." 

As  they  journeyed  down  the  river,  a  long-haired 
musical  professor  sat  down  to  the  piano  and  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  passengers  to  himself 
in  his  efforts  at  operatic  music.  Mrs.  Chandler 
had  listened  attentively,  but  failing  to  comprehend 
the  music,  she  leaned  over  and  whispered  to  her 
granddaughter,  "  Don't  he  know  how  to  play  a 
tune  ?  He's  been  trying  long  enough,  I  should 
think." 

The  granddaugher  assured  the  writer  that  as 
soon  as  she  could  "  get  up  her  courage,"  she  went 
to  the  professor  and  asked  him  if  he  would  please 


438  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

play  something  that  an  old  lady  could   understand 
and  enjoy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hiram  Vinton  were  married  in 
Massachusetts.  They  packed  their  household 
goods  on  an  oxsled  and  took  their  bridal  trip  to 
Monson,  Maine.  The  journey  occupied  three 
weeks  ;  but  with  love  and  youth  and  hope  it  was 
no  toilsome  way,  and  ever  after  these  two  — 

Did  the  duty  that  they  saw, 

Both  wrought  at  God's  supreme  designs, 

And  under  love's  eternal  law, 

Each  life  with  equal  beauty  shines. 

One  of  their  guests  writes  : 

When  I  used  to  visit  them,  they  lived  in  a  pretty  farmhouse 
with  orchards  around  it.  Everything  was  kept  with  exquisite 
neatness.  Mrs.  Vinton  was  at  that  time  an  invalid,  but  did  the 
planning  for  the  household.  She  was  an  expert  needlewoman 
and  took  great  pleasure  in  preparing  the  linen  for  the  future 
housekeeping  of  her  two  daughters.  These  were  carefully 
laid  away  with  roseleaves  and  lavender,  in  her  bureau 
drawers.  But  when  the  bridal  days  came,  the  mother  had 
passed  on. 

Mrs.  Margaret  More  Belcher,  the  wife  of  Supply 
Belcher,  of  Farmington,  was  a  woman  of  rare  ac- 
complishments and  fine  manners.  They  were 
married    in    Boston,   May  2,   1775.      Mrs.  Belcher 


OTHER    MOTHERS  439 

accompanied  her  husband  to  the  District  of 
Maine.  They  settled  on  the  Kennebec,  at  Hallo- 
well,  but  after  six  years  moved  to  Farmington. 
Mrs.  Belcher  had  been  educated  in  Boston.  Their 
home  was  one  of  refinement  and  culture.  Squire 
Belcher  was  styled  the  "  Handel  of  Maine,"  and 
o-athercd  about  him  the  musical  people  of  the 
community. 

Mrs.  Belcher  was  a  charming  hostess,  and  im- 
pressed the  many  strangers  who  visited  them  with 
her  kindly  hospitality.  She  was  the  mother  of  ten 
children,  and,  outliving  her  husband  three  years, 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-three. 

Miss  Polly  Bonney  married  Arnold  Sweet, 
March  9,  1789.  They  made  their  home  in  Win- 
throp.  When  Polly  was  a  girl  of  only  fifteen  she 
attended  a  party  at  the  home  of  a  friend  near  Bos- 
ton. A  child  was  sleeping  in  the  room.  A  young 
man  leaning  over  the  sleeping  baby  said,  "I  bap- 
tize you  "  —  the  rest  of  his  words  were  lost  in  the 
general  exclamation  that  followed.  Polly  Bonney 
only  had  heard  his  exact  language.  He  was  ar- 
rested for  blasphemy,  the  punishment  for  which  at 
that  time  was  "to  be  branded  with  a  hot  iron  and 
sit  in  the  pillory." 

Terrible    were    the    denunciations     against    the 


440  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

young  man,  and  his  case  looked  very  doubtful ;  but 
when  Polly  Bonney  arose  to  testify  in  his  favor,  all 
eyes  were  turned  to  her  earnest,  truthful  face. 
The  good  judge,  seeing  her  embarrassment,  set 
her  at  ease  by  quietly  remarking:  "  I  see  you  have 
your  mother's  red  cheeks,  Miss  Polly." 

When  questioned  by  the  lawyer  as  to  her  testi- 
mony, which  resulted  in  the  shame  of  the  accusers 
and  the  acquittal  of  the  young  man,  in  a  clear 
voice  she  said,  "  I  heard  him  say,  '  I  now  baptize 
you  in  the  name  of  the  Continental  Congress  and 
the  thirteen  United  States.' " 

Elizabeth  Hawkins  Patrick,  the  great-grand- 
mother of  the  Stevenses  at  Stroudwater,  came  from 
England  with  her  husband  to  Stroudwater,  where 
they  purchased  their  land  of  Samuel  Waldo. 
The  house  is  still  standing  in  which  they  lived. 

Left  a  widow  with  seven  children,  she  developed 
those  sterling  qualities  which  so  many  of  the 
pioneer  women  of  Maine  possessed  —  great  execu- 
tive ability  and  a  deep  sense  of  right.  She  had 
taken  great  pains  in  educating  her  son  Charles, 
sending  him  to  England  that  he  might  become  a 
finished  workman.  He  had  cut  a  stick  of  timber 
for  some  mechanical  purpose  from  the  forest  near 
his  home.     It  was  reported  to  General  Waldo  that 


OTHER    MOTHERS  44 1 

Charles  Patrick  had  cut  a  tree  from  his  land. 
The  Waldo  patent,  it  will  be  remembered,  covered 
a  large  part  of  Eastern  Maine.  Samuel  Waldo 
and  Thomas  Westbrook  owned  fifteen  thousand 
acres  in  the  town  of  Falmouth  alone,  but  not  one 
stick  fell  to  the  ground  without  their  notice. 

Samuel  Waldo,  arrayed  in  his  rich  small  clothes, 
with  silver  buckles  at  his  knees  and  shoes,  his 
three-cornered  hat  laced  with  gold,  and  short 
scarlet  cloak  over  all,  rode  up  to  Dame  Patrick's 
home,  and  not  deigning  to  dismount,  rapped  with 
his  whip  at  the  door.  The  dignified  English 
woman  answered  his  summons.  He  informed  her 
of  the  trespass  of  her  son,  and  that  according  to 
the  law,  he  should  demand  a  certain  number  of 
days'  work  for  the  timber.  Samuel  Waldo  knew 
when  he  laid  the  damages,  there  was  no  other 
workman  like  Charles  Patrick  in  all  the  country 
round.  Dame  Patrick  replied  that  she  would  talk 
the  matter  over  with  her  son  and  would  have  an 
answer  for  him  on  the  morrow. 

Again  the  lordly  Samuel  Waldo  rapped  at  the 
door  of  the  humble  cottage.  The  dauntless 
woman  met  him  and  said :  "  Mr.  Waldo,  I  have 
decided  to  let  you  run  your  land  out,  and  prove  to 
me  that  my  son  cut  the  stick  of  timber  on  your 
premises."      He  looked  at  her  in  amazement,  show- 


442  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

ing  that  for  once  he  was  baffled.  He  shouted, 
"  Is  the  devil  in  the  woman  ?  "  She  replied, 
"  God  is  greater  than  the  devil,  and  I  do  not  fear 
you."  He  turned  his  horse's  head  from  her  door, 
and  Dame  Patrick  heard  from  him  no  more. 
She  lived  to  be  ninety-six  years  old. 

The  home  of  Rebecca  Cummings  Cony 
Howard  Brooks  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Kenne- 
bec, at  Augusta,  is  remembered  for  its  genuine  old- 
time  hospitality. 

It  was  the  children's  paradise.  No  greater 
pleasure  could  come  to  them  than  a  day  with 
grandma.  Thanksgiving  Day  was  anticipated  as 
a  festal  season  for  young  and  old,  children  and 
grandchildren. 

Mrs.  Brooks  was  famed  for  her  domestic  virtues. 
Her  dark  flowing  blue,  and  other  rare  china,  with 
her  rich  inheritance  of  family  silver,  and  linen 
of  her  own  manufacture,  made  her  table  very 
attractive. 

Mrs.  Brooks  was  born  at  Bridgewater,  Massachu- 
setts. She  married  Samuel  Cony  and  they  came 
to  the  Kennebec,  in  company  with  Judge  Cony. 
At  Augusta  they  built  a  fine  colonial  mansion, 
still  standing.  Left  a  widow,  Mrs.  Cony  married 
Judge  James   Howard.     William    A.    Brooks    was 


OTHER    MOTHERS  443 

her  third  husband.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven 
children  and  took  to  her  home  two  grandchildren, 
all  of  whom  were  religiously  trained.  Mrs.  Brooks 
was  a  cultured  woman,  naturally  inclined  to  study. 
The  worthy  governor  of  Maine,  Samuel  Cony, 
was  one  of  her  descendants. 

In  the  year  1787,  Henry  Small  and  his  wife, 
Elizabeth,  went  to  Limington  from  Scarborough, 
and  made  a  farm  on  the  land  bought  of  the  In- 
dians in  1668  by  his  great-great-grandfather, 
Francis  Small.  Elizabeth  and  the  four  little  ones, 
were  sheltered  in  an  old  hunting-camp  near  his  lot, 
while  Henry  felled  the  trees  and  put  up  the  walls 
of  a  log  house.  The  supplies  gave  out  and  he 
was  obliged  to  go  to  Portland  on  foot,  more  than 
twenty  miles,  to  renew  them.  On  his  return,  three 
days  afterwards,  late  at  night,  what  was  his  con- 
sternation and  terror  to  find  the  camp  empty,  and 
no  trace  of  wife  or  children.  He  rushed  frantic- 
ally through  the  woods  and  fortunately  directed 
his  steps  to  his  new  house  where  he  found  them 
quietly  sleeping.  During  his  absence  Elizabeth 
had  roofed  over  a  part  of  the  cabin  with  bark,  and 
moved  her  household  goods  to  their  new  quarters, 
and  there,  a  few  days  later,  on  a  bed  of  boughs, 
their  son,  Humphrey,  was  born. 


444  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Hannah  Delano  Small  was  the  wife  of  a  sea 
captain.     Their  home  was  at  Cape  Elizabeth. 

A  life  on  the  ocean  wave, 

A  home  on  the  rolHng  deep, 
Where  the  scattered  waters  rave, 

And  the  winds  their  revels  keep, 

had  no  facination  for  her.  The  very  sight  of  the  ocean 
was  a  reminder  of  lonely  vigils  and  sad  forebodings. 
As  she  waited  the  return  of  her  husband  from  long 
voyages,  she  would  clasp  her  boys  more  closely  to 
herself  and  resolve  that  they  should  never  become 
sailors.  Her  presages  became  so  real,  and,  fearing 
the  effect  upon  her  sons  of  living  within  sight  and 
sound  of  old  ocean,  in  the  absence  of  her  husband, 
on  one  of  his  voyages,  she  moved  her  family  to 
the  wilderness  of  Limington.  With  her  own 
hands  she  assisted  in  felling  the  trees  and  in  build- 
ing the  log  cabin. 

She  looked  well  to  the  education  of  her  boys 
In  teaching  them  writing  and  arithmetic,  she  traced 
the  figures  and  letters  upon  birch  bark  by  means 
of  a  charred  stick.  "  After  life's  fitful  fever  she 
sleeps  well,"  not  far  from  the  scenes  of  her  heroic 
struggles.  Her  boys  grew  to  a  noble,  stalwart 
manhood  and  her  descendants  have  filled  many 
positions  of  honor  and  trust. 


OTHER    MOTHERS  445 

Marcia  Stebbens  and  William  Augustus  Hyde 
were  married  in  Brimfield,  Massachusetts,  at  the 
home  of  the  bride,  and  took  their  wedding-trip  on 
a  sailing  vessel  from  Boston  to  Bangor.  Mrs. 
Hyde  had  been  brought  up  with  a  family  of  twelve 
children  in  a  home  of  refinement,  but  gladly  shared 
the  fortune  of  her  brave  young  husband  who,  with 
two  other  young  men  had  taken  up  farms  on  the 
Educational  Lands  offered  by  Massachusetts  to 
induce  settlement  in  Maine. 

From  Bangor  they  were  able  to  find  conveyance 
to  Foxcroft.  Beyond  this  all  was  an  unbroken 
wilderness.  They  were  obliged  to  leave  their 
goods  in  Bangor  until  the  way  could  be  opened  for 
them.  With  a  gun  in  one  hand  and  an  ax  in  the 
other,  Marcia  Hyde  followed  in  the  footsteps  of 
her  husband  the  entire  distance  from  Foxcroft  to 
the  present  town  of  Monson.  Mr.  Hyde  named 
the  settlement  in  honor  of  his  native  place,  Mon- 
son, Massachusetts. 

They  were  joined  by  the  wives  of  the  two  other 
young  men,  and  for  a  short  time  the  three  families 
lived  together  in  a  log  cabin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hyde 
the  following  spring  penetrated  three  miles  farther 
into  the  woods,  cleared  the  land  and  built  a  frame 
house.  It  was  a  pretty  home,  in  after  years 
painted  red  with  white  trimmings.     Those  who  see 


44^  MOTHERS     OF    MAINE 

it  to-day  can  hardly  realize  the  struggle  of  these 
two  youthful  pioneers  as  they  wrought  nearly 
everything  that  entered  into  its  construction  out  of 
the  raw  material.  Swedish  mothers  are  not  the 
only  ones  that  have  manufactured  shingles  by  hand 
in  the  Maine  forests.  Mr.  Hyde  was  often  obliged 
to  leave  his  wife  alone  with  her  little  children 
while  he  went  for  the  family  supplies.  Indians 
were  all  about  her ;  bears  and  other  animals  often 
came  to  the  brook  to  drink ;  but  Mrs.  Hyde  was 
fearless.  Her  grandchildren  recall  her  experience 
with  the  extreme  cold  of  the  Maine  winters.  She 
was  obliged  to  wrap  herself  and  her  baby  in  her 
cloak  and  hood  before  getting  into  bed  when  alone, 
for  fear  of  freezing  before  morning. 

One  of  the  most  striking  pictures  by  Millet  at 
the  World's  Fair  was  "'  Peasants  Carrying  a  New- 
born Calf."  The  calf  is  laid  upon  a  stretcher 
borne  by  two  peasants ;  the  cow  is  following,  lick- 
ing her  young,  which  she  regards  with  motherly 
eyes.  What  might  the  artist  have  given  us,  could 
he  have  followed  William  Hyde  as  he  made  his 
way  through  the  woods  bearing  on  his  shoulder 
the  new-born  calf  and  the  cow  closely  following. 
He  had  purchased  the  cow  at  Foxcroft  thinking 
to  drive  her  to  Monson  before  the  calf  was  born. 

The  family  now  had  an  abundance  of  milk  and 


OTHER    MOTHERS  447 

eggs,  and  Mrs.  Hyde  by  digging  about  the  stumps 
had  planted  some  pumpkin  seeds  in  anticipation  of 
her  favorite  pies  in  the  fall ;  but  she  had  not  a 
single  pie-plate.  During  the  summer  her  husband 
managed  to  procure  for  her  the  much  coveted  blue- 
edged  plates,  bringing  them  through  the  woods 
strapped  upon  his  back.  With  great  care  he  built 
for  her  an  oven  of  stones  on  the  top  of  a  large 
stump.  It  was  made  with  two  stories  in  order  that 
she  might  bake  as  many  pies  as  she  had  plates. 

The  happy  day  arrived ;  Mrs.  Hyde  was  thor- 
oughly hungry  for  pumpkin  pies.  She  could 
hardly  wait  for  them  to  bake.  The  oven  was 
heated,  the  pies  were  placed  in  position  —  when  lo  ! 
there  came  a  terrible  crash.  The  oven  had  caved 
in  and  every  pie-plate  was  smashed ! 

Mrs.  Hyde,  in  narrating  the  incident  to  her 
friend,  said  she  had  been  threatened  by  Indians, 
surrounded  by  howling  wolves  and  prowling  bears; 
she  had  been  exposed  to  many  dangers,  but  her 
courage  had  never  failed  her  till  then.  She  went 
to  bed  and  cried. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hyde  were  very  patriotic.  They 
gave  their  son  to  their  country's  defense,  and  fol- 
lowed the  First  Maine  Res^iment,  in  which  he  en- 
listed,  with  their  prayers.  They  were  advanced 
thinkers  upon  the  temperance  question  and  both 


448  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

advocated  equal  suffrage  for  man  and  woman. 
Mrs.  Hyde  never  lost  her  undaunted  courage.  In 
later  life  she  was  alone  with  her  children  when  her 
house  was  burglarized.  She  put  on  her  boy's 
boots  and  tramped  so  heavily  the  burglar  was  glad 
to  make  his  escape  through  the  cellar  door. 
Mother  Hyde  was  fast  upon  him  and  closed  the 
door  in  a  manner  to  convince  him  there  was  power 
behind  it.  Mrs.  Hyde  possessed  great  sweetness 
as  well  as  strength  of  character.  Her  last  days 
were  spent  in  Portland. 

Love  Coffin  was  born  in  Nantucket  in  1756. 
She  belonged  to  a  family  distinguished  for  their 
intelligence  and  industrious  habits.  She  was  a 
beautiful  and  brilliant  girl,  quick  in  bodily  and 
mental  action ;  she  had  a  keen  perception  and  a 
retentive  memory,  which  she  bequeathed  to  her 
descendants. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three  she  married  William 
Allen  of  Martha's  Vineyard.  They  were  regarded 
the  handsomest  couple  on  the  island.  During  the 
dark  days  of  our  Revolutionary  struggle  they 
suffered  great  loss  of  property.  With  a  little  par- 
trimony  in  her  own  right  and  by  her  untiring  in- 
dustry as  a  tailoress,  she  succeeded  in  tiding  the 
family  over  the  troublous  times  until  even  darker 


OTHER    MOTHERS  449 

days  came.  They  then  resolved  to  seek  a  home  in 
the  wilds  of  Maine.  Their  family  at  this  time  con- 
prised  five  children. 

Coming  to  Farmington,  they  made  a  poor  selec- 
tion in  the  location  of  their  farm,  and  for  years 
struggled  on  in  extreme  poverty.  While  enduring 
the  privations  of  the  most  worthy  pioneers,  she 
trained  up  a  family  of  ten  children  of  whom  Camp- 
meeting  John  Allen  was  one. 

All  of  her  children  attained  to  successful  posi- 
tions in  life.  The  lack  of  school  privileges  was 
made  up  by  intelligent  and  broad  culture  at  home. 
In  the  long  winter  evenings  around  the  blaze  of 
the  pitch-knots  on  the  kitchen  hearth  the  mother 
would  rehearse  to  them  the  contents  of  books  she 
had  read  in  her  girlhood.  They  were  too  poor  to 
purchase  books  and  libraries  were  unknown.  She 
recited  to  them  Paradise  Lost  and  quoted  the  most 
impressive  passages  of  Milton  which  she  had  re- 
tained in  memory.  The  principal  events  of  mod- 
ern and  ancient  history  were  then  presented  and 
many  recitations  of  classic  English  literature  were 
made.  She  thus  imbued  all  her  children  with  such 
love  of  learning  that  they  made  the  best  use  of 
their  limited  privileges  in  the  schools,  and  in  after 
life  they  improved  the  advantages  afforded  by 
prosperous  circumstances. 
29 


450  MOTHERS    OF    MAINE 

Nearly  all  her  children  in  youth  were  teachers. 
Her  eldest  son,  who  never  had  been  to  school  after 
he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  attended  Hallowell 
Academy  for  eight  weeks,  and  was  then  appointed 
assistant  teacher  in  the  academy.  How  much  her 
children  owed  to  their  intelligent  mother !  Her 
jewels  were  polished  by  maternal  skill  and  cheerful 
perseverance.  From  the  deep  furrows  of  a  well 
cultivated  mind  sprung  up  seeds  of  intelligence 
that  nourished  her  children  and  beautified  her  life. 

Love  Coffin  Allen  has  been  greatly  honored  in 
her  worthy  grandsons  —  Rev.  Stephen  Allen  and 
Rev.  Charles  F.  Allen.  Madam  Nordica  is  the 
great-granddaughter  of  this  worthy  Maine  mother. 

Among  the  women  who  gave  character  to  the 
social,  educational  and  religious  life  of  Franklin 
County  was  Mrs.  Phebe  Abbott  of  Temple.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Lydia  and  Jacob  Abbott,  who 
moved  from  Concord,  New  Hampshire  to  Bruns- 
wick in  1802.  The  family  had  previously  lived  in 
Andover,  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Abbott  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  Phillips 
Academy  which  offered  its  educational  advantages 
to  boys  only,  but  Lydia  Abbott  mused,  and  as  she 
mused  the  fire  burned.  One  day  the  trustees  were 
astonished    by    the    appearance    before    them    of 


OTHER  MOTHERS  45" 

Lydia  Abbott  with  her  three  daughters.  She 
asked  that  her  girls  might  be  admitted  to  the 
classes  with  their  brothers.  The  trustees  assured 
her  that  such  a  thing  was  unprecedented  —  that 
no  girls  had  ever  entered  that  sacred  precinct. 
They  argued  with  great  dignity  that  it  was  contrary 
to  law.  Mrs.  Abbott  replied  that  she  had  no  desire 
to  violate  law,  but  failed  to  be  convinced  that  there 
was  any  reason  why  her  girls  should  not  stand  side 
by  side,  intellectually,  with  their  brothers.  The 
trustees  promised  to  consider  the  matter.  In  the 
meantime  the  first  ladies  of  the  place  waited  upon 
Mrs.  Abbott,  begging  her  to  desist  from  her  pur- 
pose. They  feared  her  daughters  would  be  ostra- 
cised from  society  by  such  a  course  —  that  the  girls 
themselves  would  become  bold.  But  Mrs.  Abbott 
persisted.  The  girls  entered  the  academy,  were 
educated  and  brought  to  the  wilds  of  Maine  cul- 
tured, intelligent  minds  which  have  been  trans- 
mitted to  their  descendants,  who  have  not  only 
honored  Maine,  but  America  and  foreign  lands. 


F 

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